Severus's Pensieve
by BellaDrogo
Summary: This story paints the lovely and often harrowing picture of Severus' life before he met Harry Potter. You'll meet Severus's most loyal companion, Marcella Lynch, from the beautiful beginning of their relationship first year, to the tragic end.
1. Don't Ever Look Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful universe that is Harry Potter, nor do I own any of its magnificent characters. I write my stories simply for the pleasure of writing and to further enjoy this spectacular spectacle that is the wizarding world. **

**Chapter 1: Don't Ever Look Back**  
><strong>October 1981 -<strong> 

Marci Lynch was a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She'd graduated herself a little over four years ago. She apprenticed under Professor Sprout for two years before the elderly witch decided to retire early to America; she decided to flee from the horrors that Lord Voldemort was supplying to Western Europe. 

Marci couldn't blame her. Voldemort had plagued Marci's life since she was in her third year. He finally moved out into the public eye, claiming credit for the disappearances, unusual "natural disasters", and the attacks on muggles and muggle born witches and wizards. 

For the last eight years, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named turned Britain, Ireland, and Scotland into a living hell. People were terrified to let their children go away to school and many were afraid to even leave the safety of their homes. Although, if Voldemort decided to come after you, locking your doors wouldn't keep him out. Marci in particular had lost everything to the bastard. 

She shook her head at that thought. _I refuse to dwell on the past, come on Marci, focus on the future, focus on what you're doing here and now. Don't ever look back. _Marci mentally chastised herself for breaking her one and only rule: never think on what you've lost, only on what you have to gain. Unfortunately, Marci didn't feel like she had much to gain tonight. 

She looked out over the Great Hall. The number of students attending Hogwarts had dwindled this year. Only about two thirds of the original student body had been allowed to come back to Hogwarts. Parents were much more keen on home schooling their children now that they thought they may never see them again. This year's first year class only held fifteen students. It was the smallest class she'd ever seen. It worried her. Hogwarts was her home and if the board of governors ever decided to shut the school down, Marci didn't know where she would go. 

Professor Vector, the Arithmacy teacher, interrupted her train of thought and asked Marci, "My dear, how is Miss Bachelder doing in France? Has she finished her apprenticeship with Madam Prideaux?" 

Marci smiled at the elderly professor, glad to have a distraction from her morbid thoughts. "Yes, she has, Professor Vector. Beauxbatons has decided to split the Arithmacy classes between the two. Alisha has taken the first through third years and Madam Prideaux has the fourth through seventh years." 

"That's wonderful! She was always my brightest student. I am glad she is doing well. Is she enjoying the Mediterranean climate there? I can imagine it's not quite what she is use to, coming from Alaska and all." 

"Well, Alisha is use to traveling and she's pretty good at acclimating to new cultures and I think she enjoys the warmer weather. She's having a ball exploring France more. She's pretty eager to travel the rest of Europe during summer holiday." 

"Wonderful! I was talking to Madam Hooch earlier and she was giving me the latest statistics on Miss Jensen as well. It seems our little Hufflepuff is doing quite well for herself in the Quidditch realm?" 

Marci laughed, wondering how Jeanne would react to being referred to as "our little Hufflepuff". It was true though. Jeanne was a Hufflepuff. She was also a pretty petite woman. It was what made her such a successful seeker, besides her raw skill. She was light, tiny, and agile. All the great qualities of a seeker. "Yes, it does seem the Holyhead Harpies are doing well this season, they are undefeated. Last time I spoke with her, she was hoping they would make it to the World Cup this year. She plays Canada in the next few days and I've heard they have really picked up their game the last four years. It'll be interesting to see who wins. Canada's got two new beaters and I've heard they are rather ruthless with the bludgers. Jeanne better be watching herself." 

"She was always so quick on a broom. One of the best players Hogwarts has ever seen, she always gives Charlie Weasley a run for his money. I am sure she can dodge whatever those beaters send her way." 

Marci laughed. "Yea, as long as her head isn't in the clouds, thinking about Josh." 

"Ah yes, that boy does seem to distract her, doesn't he?" 

"He does indeed, but I think that he's good for her; he grounds Jeanne in a way I've never seen before. Gets her mind off Quidditch once in a while." 

Professor Vector shook her head. "I never thought I'd see the day when Miss Jensen was more interested in a boy than she was in Quidditch; Merlin knows she had plenty of prospective suiters while she was here. The boys tended to gravitate towards her what with her talent on a broom and all." Professor Vector took a drink of her pumpkin juice and took another bite of her pudding. "She never had a second look for any of them though, did she? How did she meet this Josh character anyways?" 

"Well," Marci began, wiping her mouth and glancing around for a jug of water, "She was playing as a reserve seeker for the Oregonian Ogres, over in the United States, Josh was the captain and the keeper. When they started dating, Jeanne quit the team. Around the same time she got a call from the Harpies captain, requesting she tryout. Jeanne ended up blowing the other three potential seekers out of the water. I always wondered why she didn't get picked up by a major league team before that. She played for the Ogres for almost a year." 

"I am glad to hear that your two friends are doing as well as you are, Marci. Give them my regards next time you owl them." With a wipe to her fingers and mouth, Professor Vector got up, muttering about number charts, and "those blasted Gryffindors". Marci laughed knowing Professor Vector was referring to the years of terror when James Potter and Sirius Black took her class just to have another class with Lily Evans. Marci rested her elbow on the table, and her chin in her hand, trying not to think about her years here at Hogwarts. They had not been pleasant. Sometimes she wondered why she had stayed here in the first place. 

Marci surveyed the Great Hall again, checking up on her Hufflepuffs. They were all huddled at one end of their long house table. No doubt gossiping about Samantha Doyle. Marci had over heard her Hufflepuffs whispering about the scandal more than once today. The poor girl had been taken out of potions class to be told her parents had been arrested by the Ministry of Magic. They had been caught torturing their muggle neighbors with two other Death Eaters, Vincent Zabini had been arrested as well as his wife Priscilla. 

As if Professor Slughorn could read her thoughts he leaned over his giant glass of mead and said, "Quite the gossip, eh ma' girl? What with the Doyles and Zabinis? Always thought highly of the Zabinis when they were here, that was before Vincent had married Priscilla, of course. I am sure it's all a misunderstanding. The ministry will sort it out and they'll be pardoned before we know it. Don't worry." She noted that the old man hadn't mentioned anything about the Doyles but that didn't surprise Marci as he'd always dismissed anyone that wasn't well connected or particularly gifted. Slughorn patted Marci's hand affectionately and shook his head, as if all of this were some sort of joke. The man obviously thought of her as some sort of pet still. But Marci had grown up since the days when she was a talented, naive student, easily flattered by the attention of a facetious professor. 

Marci drew her hand out from under his, glaring. "Horace," Marci used his first name to show her disdain for his frivolous gossip. "This is a tragedy. A whole family of muggles is in St. Mungos, with almost irrevocable brain damage from being tortured for hours on end. Four people are in Azkaban and I'm not convinced they are all guilty." Marci's voice had turned cold and she was shooting daggers with her eyes. She was familiar with the Doyles and they were kind, compassionate people; there were no better Hufflepuffs. It seemed almost impossible to Marci that this particular couple were in cohorts with Voldemort. 

Horace laughed, obviously not catching on to Marci's icy tone. "Well, I'm sure the Zabinis will be fine, Ms. Lynch, there's no need to worry yourself. Justice will prevail." He took a deep drink from his goblet and rested his hands on his gigantic stomach. 

Marci had had enough. It was one thing when the students let gossip run rampant among their ranks, but it was another for a professor to be speaking so flippantly about such situations. She crumpled the napkin in her hands and threw it down on top of her unfinished plate of food. "With all due respect Horace, Vincent Zabini can rot in Azkaban. He was cruel while he was a student here and I do not believe he so easily grew out of his sadistic habits. As for Priscilla, I shudder at the thought of her sharing a bed with that vicious man. But perhaps you think he should be exonerated for his misgivings in the wizarding world as easily as you excused his behavior while he was your ward here. Mr. and Mrs. Doyle have never harmed a single person as long as I have known them and as far as I can tell, they are exemplary people. We shall see who receives their due penalty in the end; as you say, justice will prevail." With that Marci pushed her chair from the table and turned her back on a sputtering Professor Slughorn. 

As she walked behind him towards the house tables she heard him muttering, "Well, I've never..." Marci was not ashamed that she had so blatantly disrespected her elder. The man deserved to have a damper put on his idol worship of Zabini and the other Death Eaters that were once his surrogate children in Slytherin. She knew Horace did not favor the side of Darkness but he was not prone to believe the worst of people he once flattered and held in such high regard. 

Marci shook her head mulling the whole situation over in her head. She had known Vincent and Priscilla while they were at Hogwarts. Vincent was in his sixth year when she'd started at Hogwarts; he was a prefect. Priscilla was in her own year, she'd even been a Hufflepuff like Marci. It wasn't a huge surprise to her that Vincent was a loyal Death Eater but she just couldn't imagine Priscilla being sympathetic to the cause. After all Priscilla was muggle-born but Marci wondered if she and Vincent kept that under wraps. It also wasn't a surprised that Vincent had been so attracted to Priscilla. She was beautiful and Vincent did tend to be possessive of beautiful things. Marci remembered the trophies he use to prance about the castle with. They were always beautiful young witches. 

As Marci made her way past the house tables she heard bits and pieces of the student's conversations. "I heard You-Know-Who himself showed up before the Aurors got there and there was an epic battle..." 

A fifth year Ravenclaw was saying, "Honestly, Justin, if that Mad-eye fellow hadn't have shown up, they probably wouldn't have been able to save those muggle's minds. Saphira told me that they found the Doyles in the middle of a Satanic worship ritual and they were going to sacrifice the child..." 

"That's enough," Marci snapped at the fifth year. "Ms. Johnstone, I expect you to be setting an example for the other students. After all you are a prefect and I would hate to see you stripped of that title," Marci said acidly. "Ten points from Ravenclaw for gossiping." 

Marci swirled back towards the Entrance Hall, leaving the two Ravenclaws gawking after her. She was irritated at the whole situation and the lack of control Dumbledore held over gossip in the castle. He could easily put a stop to the rumors but he chose not to, for whatever reasons. Marci had no idea how the rest of the student body had found out about Samantha's parents so fast but that was usually the way it was. There were very few secrets at Hogwarts. Gossip spread like wild fire here. 

Hearing about Samantha's parents had been a shock to Marci and unfortunately she had been the one to tell her. Samantha seemed to be as astonished as Marci was. Apparently she had no idea her parents were Death Eaters and Marci wondered if they had been under the imperious curse. As far as she knew, Mr. and Mrs. Doyle were admitting to the torture, they weren't even trying to protect themselves. Perhaps, Marci pondered once again, they had been threatened or Samantha's life had been in danger and they were doing whatever they had to do to protect their daughter; as it was Marci possessed a number of letters that hinted at just that. That made more sense than the Doyles being sympathetic towards Voldemort's cause, especially after the letters she had received from the distraught parents earlier in the year. 

This incident terrified students and staff at Hogwarts. Marci could tell that suddenly students were more wary of one another, less trusting of those they didn't know. They had always been terrified of the Slytherins, knowing some of the darkest wizards had come out of that house, but now they didn't know what to make of one another. If a family that had been firmly rooted in Hufflepuff history could become a supporter of You-Know-Who, then anyone could. Marci was afraid the students would start turning on one another, hexing each other at the slightest provocation, throwing around accusations of being a Death Eater left and right. She prayed to God that that wouldn't happen and that the students would trust one another and stand united. 

Voldemort was tearing the wizarding world apart and Marci could barely stand by and watch. It took every ounce of self control not to quit teaching and join the Order of the Phoenix full time doing operative work for Dumbledore. As it was, he had her out on missions during school holidays and weekends. She patrolled Hogsmeade whenever they had students visiting the village. Marci was doing everything she could to raise as much hell for Voldemort as he'd raised for her. She had even fantasized about leaving her position at Hogwarts to work full time missions, as if Dumbledore would let her. He needed a herbologist whom he trusted. Marci grew a number of dangerous and outlawed plants in her private green house. Without some of the produce she provided, Dumbledore would be without many of the potion supplies he needed. Not to mention Marci was skilled at brewing potions. Dumbledore didn't fully trust Horace Slughorn, so he entrusted all of his brewing to her. 

Outside the Great Hall, Marci ran into Minerva McGonagall. They were both on their way up to the Headmaster's office for the Order meeting. Marci nodded at her colleague. "Hello Minerva," Marci said courteously. She did not particularly feel like small talk at the moment. Thankfully Professor McGonagall was a no nonsense woman and had little patience for idle chit chat. She did however want to discuss the events surrounding the Doyles. 

"What do you think Marcella?" Professor McGonagall asked, not having to explain further. Marci pursed her lips remembering her days as a student. Minerva never had gotten out of the habit of calling her by her full name. It was a habit left over from Marci's days as a student and it was oddly comforting. 

"I think there are extenuating circumstances where the Doyles are concerned, perhaps even with Priscilla but I have no doubt that Vincent is as guilty as he looks." 

Minerva pursed her lips in agreement. "It does seem that way. What do you make of Priscilla's involvement and her marriage to Vincent?" 

"I don't know Minerva. I spent seven years sleeping in the same room with her and going to classes with her. She was quiet, shy, and beautiful; we know how Vincent loves his trophies." Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes, disapproving. "She never said a thing about being interested in the Slytherin boy. I don't even think they started dating until after she graduated. She was never one to gossip about boys. She was smart, kind, funny. She stuck up for the younger students and never let broken rules go unpunished, even if it was just a warning. She was a good prefect, just, fair. She treated everyone equally." Marci laughed despite herself. She'd just described the perfect Hufflepuff. "I just don't see that girl, turning into a woman who tortures muggles for sport." 

"Perhaps there is more to this story than meets the eye, Marcella. I am sure Dumbledore is making a full investigation into the matter, especially considering the Doyles." 

"I hope so. I don't want the Doyles to go down for something they were forced into, whether that was through imperious or threats. I know if Vincent has anything to do with it, they'll take the fall completely and he and Priscilla will get off Scott free. Come to think of it. I wonder if Vincent is willing to throw his own wife under the bus to save himself." 

"Let's hope not. Dumbledore may speak on the matter tonight. As for, throwing Priscilla under the bus, as you say, I would not put it past Vincent. I cannot count the number of times he let others take the fall for his rule breaking here at Hogwarts. I am sure he is no different now than he was then. I do foresee a problem if they decide to try him formally. He is from an old wizarding family who has been very influential in the community over the generations. He is held in high regard with the minister, his father still works for the ministry. I'm sure, as we speak, he is working on, how do I say this politely, Vincent's ...defense. I'm sure he will be out of Azkaban before the night is up." 

"Oh Minerva, phooey with being polite. Vincent doesn't deserve your sympathy." Marci said in a huff, instantly regretting her tone. 

"Do not misunderstand me, Marcella; I hold no sympathy for Vincent Zabini. I simply do not wish to so openly declare my alliance where prying ears listen." Minerva inclined her head to a dark alcove at the top of the stairs. A sixth and seventh year Slytherin pair were inside, in a particularly compromising position. 

Marci groaned. She did not want to deal with teenage hormones at the moment. Luckily Minerva saved her from the confrontation. "Excuse me, Mr. Campbell, Ms. Dickson. What exactly do you believe you are doing?" Minerva used her disciplinary tone, the one that had chilled Marci to her core when she was younger, the one that said, 'you know you're in trouble, do not try talking your way out of it'. Apparently the Slytherin couple knew this tone as well. They jumped apart. The boy, Campbell, frantically tried to zip his trousers and tuck in his shirt. Dickson pulled at the hem of her skirt and stood there grinning like it was Christmas come early. Marci stood glaring down at the pair. 

"That will be twenty points each from Slytherin, and a week's worth of detentions for both of you. I expect you both to be in my office tomorrow at six-" 

Campbell spoke up then, his face turning red. "You can't do that! I have Quidditch practice tomorrow and on Friday we have a match-" He didn't get to finish. Minerva's voice had turned deadly cold, and was barely a whisper. 

"I was not under the impression being Quidditch captain allowed you to disregard the rules about public displays of affection, Mr. Campbell. Perhaps that was too mild of a term for what you were engaging in. Another five points for talking back. I expect you both in detention, Quidditch or not. I also expect you both to go and see Madam Pomfrey to acquire the necessary charms to protect yourselves. You will also need a firm lecture on the repercussion of your actions should you choose not to use the charms recommended by Madam Pomfrey." Minerva finished her reprimand with a straight face. Marci was doing everything she could to not burst into a fit of school girl giggles. Minerva had basically just given the two students the birds and the bees talk right there in the corridor. 

Campbell looked like he was ready to explode. Luckily for him, his companion grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the alcove. "Come on Chris, let's go," she said, giggling. 

"Mark my words; I will know if you do not go straight to your common room." 

Marci thought she heard the girl say, "Damn, that's ok; we can kick the firsties out of the study room." Marci shook her head. 

"Minerva, you know you can't keep them from participating in...those kinds of extracurricular activities if they're hell bent on doing it." Marci turned scarlet at the last phrase of her sentence. 

"Yes well, when I send Filtch in there to go clean their common room in a few minutes, they will think twice about their behavior next time." Professor McGonagall gifted Marci with a rare grin and turned towards the gargoyle on the other side of the corridor. 

"Orange creamsicles." Marci murmured shaking her head at the image of the couple being interrupted by Filtch in a few minutes. 

Dumbledore met them at the top of the revolving stair case with a grim look on his face. "Welcome ladies, please come in." He said in subdued tones. 

Marci gazed around nodding at all the familiar faces: James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Mad-eye Moody. Peter Pettigrew was cowering away from the glare Mad-eye was giving him and there were a number of other people that Marci knew by face, but not by name. Hagrid had managed to scrunch himself into the back, and Molly, Arthur, Bill, and Charlie Weasley were present, talking in hushed whispers to Kingsley Shacklebolt. 

Dorcas Meadows was not present. Marci frowned in concern. She had never known her mentor and friend to miss a meeting. Dorcas had taken her under her wing four years and helped Marci acclimate to full time Order work. She taught Marci defensive spells, counter curses and jinx, and protective charms. There wasn't a week that went by when Dorcas didn't stop in for a cup of tea on her way to check in with Dumbledore. Marci frowned again at the grief in Dumbledore's eyes and prepared herself for the worst. 

"Thank you all for coming tonight. We have a lot to discuss, but first I would like to inform you all that we have lost one of our own." 

Marci's stomach began to hurt as she realized again, her mentor was nowhere to be seen; she forced the tears to subside that were accumulating in her eyes. No one had to tell her, she knew what was coming. 

"Dorcas Meadows was found dead today. After investigating her death myself, I have found that Voldemort himself came for her. She put up a good fight, but unfortunately Voldemort was stronger. Her body was recovered as well as two others. They were Death Eaters. Dorcas did not go down without a fight and she took two others with her. Let us have a moment of silence for our fallen friend and fellow warrior." 

The whole room was quiet. Marci could hear her heart beat as Professor McGonagall blew her nose quietly beside her. 

"Thank you," Dumbledore murmured. "Now on to our next order of business. Halloween is in one week. We know that Voldemort will call his Death Eaters on Halloween, but we do not know what he is planning. I would like everyone on duty that night. You all have your assignments and I expect you to stick to them. We need to be diligent in our efforts to guard our wards. Edgar," Dumbledore motioned to a tall brown haired man leaning against the desk. "I want you and your partner to stick as close to the Minister as you can. Do not let him be alone, even in the loo." Turning to Mad-eye, "Alastor, can you organize a team of Aurors to assist me and the rest of the teachers in patrolling Hogwarts and Hogsmede?" Mad-eye nodded his head; his magical eye swiveled again towards Peter. 

"Usually Hogwarts would host a Halloween ball and feast, but I think that considering the circumstances and the state of affairs right now, it would be best to stick simply to a warm meal and a short night this year. I do not want the students wandering all over the grounds after dark. It will be hard enough to keep track of them all inside the castle. I want to set a curfew for the whole castle. All the students need to be in their common room by seven p.m. Sharp. That includes Prefects. There will be no rounds that night. I am expecting each of you," Dumbledore turned to Marci and Minerva, "to hold a house meeting tonight and explain about the curfew. I would also like you each to stand guard outside your common rooms, or even inside throughout the night on Halloween. I don't want students sneaking out. I will have Horace and Filius do the same. If your students would like to organize a house party to celebrate Samhain, then by all means please allow them to do so. Order food from the kitchens if you'd like but please refrain from any butterbeer." Marci and Minerva nodded their understanding and Dumbledore clapped his hands together. 

"Next we need to discuss the current situation regarding the Doyles and the Zabini's." Dumbledore's eyes swiveled to Mad-eye as the old auror growled. "Alastor, do you have something to say on the subject?" 

"I do. There's nothing to discuss, all four of them were caught IN THE ACT," Mad-eye slammed his walking stick against the ground as he belted the last three words. Marci jumped and it looked like Peter was ready to wet himself. "They are guilty and I don't appreciate your meddling Dumbledore. Let me do my job." 

"I understand your concern, Alastor, and I promise I will not to impede upon your department's investigation. I simply want to make sure that the whole story is being heard and that each person's involvement is fully investigated. I want them treated impartially to the act they were caught in, as you so eloquently phrased it." Dumbledore did not give Mad-eye the opportunity to retort. He turned towards Marci, catching the young woman off guard. "Marci, I believe you know the Doyles, do you not?" 

Marci stuttered over her words. "Uhm, well, y-y-yes, I do." Marci regained her composure, pulled herself up straight and raised her head so she was looking at the Headmaster straight in the eyes. "I mean, yes sir, I do." 

"What do you know of their loyalties?" 

"Well, I have met them a couple of times when they've come to visit Samantha. They're a nice couple, friendly, open. Muggle-borns, both of them. They have voiced their concern for Samantha's safety a number of times of the last couple of years. I received a letter from them, just over a month ago. It was very unsettling. They were convinced that Samantha was not safe enough at Hogwarts but they did not want to withdrawal her from school. They wanted to know if she had been spending time with any students in Slytherin lately, or if she had come to me with any complaints of bullying. I assured her that I had not discussed any of these issues with Samantha and I hadn't noticed if she'd been socializing with anyone outside of the ordinary. They were very adamant about me observing their daughter's social interactions carefully. They didn't want her in the corridors alone or after dark. They even asked for her temporary removal from the Hufflepuff common room. Mrs. Doyle said she wanted Samantha as far away from the Slytherin common room as possible or at least out of the dungeons." 

"What's this preoccupation with Slytherins?" Mad-eye growled, taking a step towards Marci. "Are they accusing all Slytherin students of being Death Eaters now? Typical, trying to throw the suspicion off themselves." The gruff, old Auror crossed his arms defiantly across his chest. 

"Please, Mad-eye! They were HUFFLEPUFFS!" Marci stormed back, taking a step towards the grizzly auror. 

"That means nothing. You of all people should know that Marci! Slytherin does not equate evil and the other three houses are not all saintly!" 

"Don't you dare talk to me about that, Alastor! You know perfectly well how that whole situation turned out, and it was not in my favor!" Marci was trembling with anger. She took a threatening step towards Mad-eye pulling her wand from her wrist sheath but she did not raise it. "And you cannot tell me that the majority of Death Eaters were not recruited straight out of your own house!" 

"I have never denied that, Marcella." Alastor put an emphasis on Marci's full name, looking down at the small witch. "I know full well the reputation Slytherin has in regards to the Dark Lord. I will say it again, just as Slytherin does not equate Death Eater, Hufflepuff does not equate innocence." Mad-eyes voice had retreated to a more normal volume. Marci took a deep breath and realized everyone in the room had taken a step back from the pair. Pettigrew was nowhere to be seen. 

Marci pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to contain the anger that had bubbled to the surface of her mind. "Alastor, please, listen to me. I spent a long time corresponding with the Doyles about Samantha's safety. They never came right out and said her life was in danger. But Mrs. Doyle was beside herself with fear. I have never seen a woman so upset before. At least take the letters she sent me. Look over them and investigate the possibility that perhaps the Doyles were coerced into Voldemort's services." Marci felt the whole room shutter at the name of You-Know-Who and someone hissed between their teeth. She grimaced herself, knowing how uncomfortable her colleagues were with his name. 

Mad-eye sized Marci up, perhaps deciding if he was going to refuse her offer. In the end, he nodded his head and murmured, "Aye, give me them letters as soon as you can. I'll look into the matter personally." 

Dumbledore sat off to the side of the circle that had formed around Mad-eye and Marci. His eyes were glinting in the dim light of the candles. "Very good! I'm glad you could come to a compromise. Alastor, I'll send the letters over to the ministry as soon as I've had a chance to read them." Moody just nodded his head. 

"Gideon, Fabian. I would like you two to start making contact with your connections and see if you can gather any information on what Voldemort is planning for Samhain. I want to know as much as possible before the actual meeting takes place. I'd like to have operatives in place at the proper time if there is a need." The couple that stood to the right of Dumbledore nodded their agreement. 

"Wonderful, the rest of you know what you're supposed to be doing for the night. If you need assistance, do not hesitate to contact me. James, Lily, Peter, Remus, Sirius. Would you please stay behind for a few minutes, we have things to discuss." With that Dumbledore waved a hand at the rest of the order, dismissing them. One by one they slipped into the fire place and were gone in a rush of green flames. 

At the bottom of the stairs McGonagall and Marci gave a curt nod to one another and went on their separate ways. Marci had scheduled a house meeting for later tonight. She wanted to discuss what had happened with Samantha and reassure her Hufflepuffs that Hogwarts was safe and that there was no need to worry. She also needed to make the announcement about Halloween. Marci groaned. This was not going to be a meeting at all. There would be discord in the ranks tonight. 

Footer Notes:

Thank you for reading my fic! I hope you've enjoyed what you've read! Leave me some lovin' (reviews) and let me know what you think. What can I improve and what did I do well!

I am looking for another beta reader. If you're interested, please contact me at . I am looking for someone who can be dedicated to the life of this fic. I could be writing it for well over a year or two or more. I need someone who can check my grammar, find my plot holes, and help me when I have writers block. If you think you can fill this role please send me an email with a little bit about you, why you love Harry Potter, and why you think you would make a good beta reader. Thanks!


	2. Adventure in the Dungeons

_Disclaimer: Weasleys are red, Ravenclaws are blue, I don't own Harry Potter, and neither do you._

**Chapter 2: Adventure in the Dungeons**

**1971 -**

Marci and Jeanne sat at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall, devouring the pudding and sweets that had been served after dinner. They had both been fascinated with how the food magically appeared and disappeared with each course. There had been roast beef, fried chicken and mashed potatoes. For dessert there was pudding, banofee pie, and hot apple pie. The girls were just licking the last of the cream off their fingers when it all disappeared again, leaving the table clean and shinny.

"Whoa," Marci whispered. Jeanne giggled.

"Marc, it's not that impressive, you've seen Aunt Winnie banish stuff all the time!" Jeanne giggled again at Marci's amazement.

"Yea, but I've never seen her banish a whole hall full of food!" she exclaimed, spreading her arms wide, to encompass all the tables. "Can you imagine? Never doing dishes again!" Marci said loudly, just as the headmaster stood up and the hall fell silent. Heads all over the hall turned to stare at her. Marci just grinned at the other students and focused on the headmaster.

"Welcome back, everyone," Headmaster Dumbledore said, raising his hands in welcome. "It is wonderful to see all of your smiling faces again. This is promising to be an exciting year! I am sure you are all ready for a good night's sleep before classes start in the morning so I will try and make this short and sweet. I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Emmett Woods. Professor Woods joins us all the way from America. I'm sure you will all make him feel very welcome." A husky man, dressed in an open black teaching robe with jeans and a t-shirt underneath, stood up and gave a little bow.

Jeanne leaned over and whispered, "Marci, he's absolutely HUGE! Can you see his arms? They're bigger than my head!" Jeanne sat there gawking at the man. "What was he? A professional wrestler? I wonder where he's from." Jeanne turned around to face Marci again. "The headmaster said he was from America. Do you think he knows my mom and dad or my aunt?" Jeanne's eyes got wide at the thought.

"Probably, doesn't your aunt know everyone in the wizarding world in America? I mean, from what you've told me, there's a small wizarding population in the United States. We should ask her."

"Yea," Jeanne replied. "I'll owl her tonight! Then we can tell her about the sorting!" With that Jeanne gave Marci's arm a squeeze and squealed. It was obvious she was proud to be a Hufflepuff.

"Jeanne, Hufflepuff isn't exactly the best house to be in." Marci felt her cheeks flush; embarrassed she lowered her voice, hoping no one had heard. "Didn't your cousin call it the 'charity house'?" Marci made quotation marks with her fingers. "Didn't he say kids who don't belong anywhere else end up in Hufflepuff?"

"Yea, but that doesn't really matter does it? We're at Hogwarts! Who cares what house we're in." A couple students sitting around the girls turned their heads and glared; they were obviously upset the two first years were talking through the headmaster's speech. Jeanne lowered her voice. "Plus, didn't you hear the sorting hat? Hufflepuffs are kind and just and loyal. Those aren't bad qualities."

Marci wasn't convinced she wouldn't be laughed out of class tomorrow morning. "Yeah, I guess." Facing the front again, Marci just caught the end of the headmaster's speech.

"...and remember, the Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits unless you want a very untimely death. Now I'm sure you are all ready for a nice early night, so off you go. First years, please follow your prefects to the common room and goodnight!" With a flourish of his robes Professor Dumbledore left the Great Hall through a side door.

Marci and Jeanne sat up and followed the hoard of students towards the Entrance Hall, trying not to get separated. Marci just managed to grab hold of Jeanne's hand before another hoard of students from Ravenclaw cut them off from the rest of the Hufflepuffs.

As the girls reached the Entrance Hall the students started to taper off. The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were slipping up the stairs and another mass of students were heading towards the dungeons and basement. Marci saw a fleeting yellow sweater and pulled Jeanne along in the crowd of students heading downward. She couldn't see anyone with any yellow on, it seemed she was being rushed through a river of green. Jeanne stopped dead and angry students pushed around them, telling her to get out of their way and to move. When the last of the students had passed Jeanne looked over at Marci, her face pale. "Marc, where'd all the Hufflepuffs go?" she whispered. "All I could see were Slytherins, all around us." Jeanne looked around, hoping to find a sign pointing her in the right direction but of course the locations of the common rooms were secret; only the members of each house knew where their common room was.

Marci furrowed her brows. "Well, someone said the Hufflepuff common room was called the Hufflepuff basement...so it's probably not too far down into the dungeons. Let's just keep walking and try not to go down any more flights of stairs. I'm sure we'll find it eventually." Marci began walking, never letting go of Jeanne's hand. The girls strolled down a corridor that was lined with green and yellow tapestries. "See Jeanne, the tapestries are yellow, I'm sure we're on the right track." The girls stopped to admire the tapestries for a moment. They each depicted a different wooded scene, some at twilight, some bright as mid-day. The more the girls watched, the more Marci felt like she was being sucked into the forest itself. "Can you feel it Jeanne?" Marci asked, reaching out her hand as if to touch the tapestries.

"Yea, the wind, it smells..."Jeanne trailed off.

"Sweet, like spring," Marci said, finishing her sentence.

The girls stood in awe of the tapestries as the wind began to pick up more and more. They watched the trees wave in the breeze and birds take flight. Marci felt the top of high grass tickling her knee.

"It's beautiful," Jeanne whispered.

They sat, staring at the trees as the wind began to blow around them harder and harder, Jeanne's long blonde hair whipped in her eyes and Marci's short spiky A-line was tousled. Jeanne took a step back, dragging Marci with her. "Come on, Marc, the wind, it's getting really strong. I feel like…I feel like I'm going to get pushed over." She tugged and tugged on Marci's hand but the other girl wouldn't move.

"No Jeanne, let's step into the tapestries. We could live in the spring and the field forever." Marci took a step towards the forest scene. The only thing stopping her from touching it was Jeanne's hand tugging on her own.

"Marci, these are bad pictures, they are trapping us, trying to get us stuck here, come on!" With the fear of being stuck in a picture forever, Jeanne tugged on Marci's hand toppling them both to the floor. "Come on! Marci! Now! Let's go!" Jeanne screamed. With an unusual strength and courage, Jeanne pulled Marci to her feet and began to run as fast as she could. As she ran down the hall, the wind became stronger until it was a full on storm. The tapestries billowed out from the wall, reaching for the girls, trying to trip them, trying to stop them from getting away. Finally Jeanne saw a small, dark corridor to the left. She dove in, toppling down a flight of stairs with Marci right behind her.

The girls landed at the bottom, one on top of the others. They sat there in silence, listening to one another catch their breath. Finally Marci spoke. "Thanks...thanks for saving me Jeanne. I just couldn't look away. I felt...like I couldn't control my own feet…like the meadow and forest were calling me."

Jeanne gave a gruff laugh. "Yeah, because those were enchanted tapestries. They enchanted you. That's what you were feeling. What is something like that doing in a school?" Jeanne finished, standing up and dusting off her robes. "Great, now we're down another flight of stairs and there is now way I'm going back up there," Jeanne said, pointing up the stair case.

Marci shivered thinking about walking back up that particular stair case. "No, we better find another way upstairs but I don't really want to walk down there either. It's dark and I don't think I like exploring the dungeons anymore. At least not until I know more about magic."

"Well, at least growing up with Aunt Winnie taught me something," Jeanne replied, lifting her wand. "Lumos," she said, giving it a little shake. The tip of her wand illuminated the dark passage. "Well, at least the walls are bare here."

"Whatever, let's get out of here." Marci jumped up and picked a cob web off her shoulder hoping there weren't any spiders crawling around on her. "Let's just keep walking until we find a staircase and just keep heading up until we get to the Entrance Hall, then we can find a teacher."

The girls grabbed hands again and continued to walk through the hall way. It seemed this corridor stretched on forever, curving around the castle. Eventually the girls came to an alcove with a bronze statue of a knight in it. The knight was holding his sword high, ready for battle. The girls didn't dare stay long to investigate. They continued on down the passageway. It wasn't long before they came across another statue of the knight with his sword in both hands, lunging forward. It startled the girls and they jumped back.

"It's only a statue, come on let's keep going," Marci said. The next statue they found the knight's helmet had been knocked off and he looked terrified; his sword lay limp in his hand. "This is weird," Marci whispered. Jeanne just shook her head. The girls still hadn't passed any new corridors or stair cases but the farther into the corridor they walked, the more gruesome the knight statues got. One showed the knight gripping his hand, his fingers sawed off. In another he had his own sword in his gut and finally they came to one where he was decapitated. As they passed the last alcove Jeanne held her hands over her eyes and Marci stared down. The knight was crumpled on the floor with a pool of bronze blood leaking from his neck.

"Gross," Marci said, scrunching up her nose. Around the next corner the girls finally found a passage way that was semi lit with floating lanterns. They welcomed the light and slipped into the new hallway. The walls started to close in and the hallway got narrower and narrower until the girls were walking single file. When Marci didn't think she could take the narrow hallway any longer, it opened up. The girls were standing in a wide, high ceilings corridor that was filled with greenish light. Marci pointed up and the girls just stared. There right below the curved ceiling was a round port hole and outside of it was green water: the lake.

Marci gasped as a few grindylows swam by. These port holes lined the entire length of the hallway. "I think we're _under_ the lake," Jeanne said, mouth open. "That's it. I'm staying here," she said abruptly, dropping Marci's hand and sitting cross legged on the floor. "I'm waiting here until someone comes and finds us. The dungeons are too scary." A single tear rolled down her cheek and Marci fell to the floor beside her best friend.

She put an arm around Jeanne and in her most courageous voice said, "Don't worry, someone will find us. They'll notice we're gone...eventually."

Jeanne was sobbing quietly now. "What if they never find us?" she whispered. "Hogwarts is huge."

"No, someone will find us. We're not that far down into the castle. Plus, Slytherin is down here so someone will come along soon. Probably that big fat potions professor we saw. He's the head of Slytherin, right?"

"Yup."

"I'm sure he'll come along soon."

The girls hunkered down against a wall and leaned on one another. They sat in silence for a good hour before Jeanne sat up bolt straight. "What is it?" Marci said, scared out of her wits.

"Shhh, I hear...something," Jeanne replied. "It sounds like...footsteps."

"Footsteps!" Marci exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "Which way?"

"I'm…not sure...I think...they're coming from the right."

Marci took off down the corridor with Jeanne right on her heels. "Hello!" Marci yelled. "We're down here! Please! We're down this way!"

Suddenly a blinding hot pain hit the side of Marci's face. Jeanne had hit her. "Shh! It could be a ghost, or goblins, or a werewolf!"

Marci glared at her friend. "Well, how else are we supposed to find out who it is? Plus, there aren't any werewolves inside Hogwarts. Now come on." She grabbed Jeanne's hand and continued to run. She turned a corner, Jeanne in tow, and saw someone walking towards them. It was a boy, about sixteen years old, with dark hair and deep set eyes. "Hello, please help us," Marci said loudly.

The boy walked over to them and Marci noticed he was a Slytherin. She gulped, hoping he was nice. She had heard stories, from Jeanne and her aunt, about Slytherins and how they were mean and cruel. "Well, hello there," the boy said, friendly as can be. "What are you two doing all the way down here?" He looked from Marci to Jeanne.

"We, well, you see, we got lost. We got separated from the other Hufflepuffs," Marci stated.

"And we tried to find our own way to the common room," Jeanne replied.

"We got lost, and found these horrible tapestries and statues," Marci cried.

"And then we were under the lake and we saw the grindylows and they were baring their teeth at us-," Jeanne said and was cut off.

"Alright, alright. It sounds like you two had quite the adventure. You'll be a handful in the next seven years. Let's go. I'll take you back to your common room."

Jeanne and Marci let out identical sighs of relief. This boy seemed nice and he wasn't mad at them for getting lost.

"I'm John, sixth year Slytherin prefect. And who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Marci and this is Jeanne," Marci said, throwing her thumb towards her best friend.

"Well, you guys are lucky I found you. It's really easy to get lost in the dungeons if you don't know where you're going. Plus, it's dangerous. There's a reason Hogwarts has a curfew you know," he said, pausing for a moment. "Well, I guess you don't really know. You've probably missed your house meeting. I'd fill you in on all the rules but they're different for each common room; although, Hogwarts does have a cover curfew. All students must be in their common room by midnight. No exceptions. Sometimes, on certain nights, the headmaster will change curfew to earlier, or later. I'd also suggest that you don't go wondering around the dungeons by yourself. Take an older student with you; better yet, just don't do it. You can explore the upper levels of the castle. They're much less dangerous." He smiled at the girls and they grinned back. His golden eyes radiated trust and the girls felt safe with him.

"What about you, what were you doing down here?" Marci asked, hoping she wasn't pushing some kind of limit.

John laughed. "It's part of being a prefect. We do rounds of the castle at night before curfew to make sure no one is doing things they aren't supposed to be doing and tonight was my duty night. Plus, I was on my way to sneak some food from the kitchens." He grinned manically. "I never can seem to get enough food."

Marci looked over at John, he didn't seem particularly fat. He was just tall and lanky. "So, can we go to the kitchen too?" Marci asked, craving more of the Banofee pie.

"Nope, that's a secret you're going to have to figure out on your own. I'm going to drop you two off before I get my little snack. Although I will tell you, your common room is very close to the kitchens. That's all I'm going to say though. You'll have to find it on your own."

"But you just said not to explore the dungeons on our own!" Jeanne said, indignantly.

"Ah, but the kitchen isn't in the dungeons. It's in the basement. There's a difference. They're two different levels to the castle."

"How do you tell the difference?" Jeanne asked, interested.

"The basement only consists of the first flight underground. If you go down another staircase after the first one, you're entering the dungeons and uncharted territory unless you're a Slytherin or you make a Slytherin friend."

"Well, aren't you our friend?" Marci asked.

"Sure, but I'm also five years older than you. You should find some friends your own age. Try and make some friends from every house. This school could use more unity."

Marci wasn't sure but she thought he was talking about the different stereotypes she'd heard about the houses. Gryffindors were the heroes, Slytherins were the villains, Ravenclaws were the brainiacs that didn't take sides, and Hufflepuff was the charity case that took everyone who didn't belong elsewhere.

As the trio climbed the last stair case John said, "Now, don't believe everything you hear about other houses. Most of it's not true; although most rumors always carry a grain of truth. Now here you go," he said, stopping in front of a wall lined with huge wooden vinegar caskets. "This, my dear ladies, is where I leave you."

Marci looked around at the barrels. They were bigger than she was, by three or four times. They were eight feet high and probably eight feet wide too. She tried to see if there was a door behind one of them.

"So, where's the common room?" Marci asked, looking around for a door.

John laughed. "You're standing right in front of it. I happen to know the password because my girlfriend is in Hufflepuff, but I'm not supposed to know it, so don't tell anyone." He winked down at the girls. They grinned back and giggled.

John took out his wand and said, "Watch carefully, now, and memorize the pattern I tap on the wood here." He laid the tip of his wand against one of the wooden caskets. "Memorize what barrel I'm tapping too, because bad things will happen if you tap the wrong one or tap the wrong pattern, okay?"

The girls watched in delighted silence, memorizing the barrel he had his wand on. Then he slowly tapped out a rhythm with his wand.

When he was done, he took a step back and the front of the casket swung open; the makeshift door was tall enough to allow an eight foot half giant to walk through and it was perfectly round. The barrel continued back for another six feet or so before it ended in a round staircase that headed down. Marci and Jeanne could see the soft glow of a fire reflecting in the stairwell. It looked very welcoming.

Warmth rushed through Marci as she remembered the books her mother use to read her: _The Lord of the Rings._ The books had these wonderful little creatures called Hobbits who lived in round hobbit holes. Marci was instantly reminded of this when she saw the round door and passageway. _Maybe there are hobbits at Hogwarts,_ Marci thought absently as she grabbed Jeanne's hand in excitement.

"Now, don't go forgetting the way in you two. Off you go." John lightly pushed the girls forward and started off down the corridor back to his common room.

Footnote:

_The Lord of the Rings _does not belong to me, it was written by a literary genius named J.R.R. Tolkien.


	3. Halloween at Hogwarts

_Disclaimer: Weasleys are red, Ravenclaws are blue, I don't own Harry Potter, and neither do you._

**Chapter 3: Halloween at Hogwarts**

**1981 -**

Although Marci wasn't sitting in the room with a hard headed Mad-eye Moody, her blood was still boiling over their conversation. The nerve of the old Auror to convict the Doyles so quickly, who did he think he was? Just because they were present during the torture does not mean they are guilty. More and more people were claiming to be under the Imperius curse, an Unforgivable Curse that allowed the caster to exert complete control over the person it was cast upon. As of now, no one had even looked into the possibility that the Doyles were under Imperius. It was absolutely infuriating.

Reluctantly Marci let her mind slip to less offensive things, hoping to temper her anger. Like the upcoming restrictions on Halloween. The students would not be happy, but they had little knowledge of how dangerous Halloween in the castle could be. The last three years had been relatively quiet on Halloween because of the Dark Lord's uprising. More security had been put in place and professors had less tolerance for student shenanigans, regardless of how harmless they were.

Marci trailed her fingers along the side of the corridor wall, feeling the cracks and crevices of the ancient brick. She was worried about Halloween, although Halloween at Hogwarts had always been a little frightening to Marci. This was nothing new. Her first Halloween in the castle had taught her that regardless of the security, anything could happen.

The Death Eaters and Dark Lord were not the only things you had to worry about on Halloween at Hogwarts. There were bullies, thugs, and practical jokers, who just wanted a good laugh at another person's expense. Her first Halloween was filled with all those types of people but was embodied by two boys in particular: James Potter and Sirius Black. In fact, those two boys had seemed to terrorize her every Halloween.

Marci had only been at Hogwarts for two months, but already she had realized James and Sirius were going to be trouble. They teased kids who were less popular than themselves, pointed out everyone else's flaws, and played cruel jokes on the kids they hated the most. These two boys had no sympathy for anyone and no empathy for other's feelings. They were Gryffindors and had a little gang of other first years that fawned over their every move: Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. Pettigrew was relatively harmless but fiercely loyal. Lupin was quiet and tended to turn a blind eye from the duos more brutal past times. Pettigrew and Lupin never really participated in Potter and Black's more harmful endeavors but they never did anything to stop them either. Just thinking about the two Gryffindor bullies had Marci seeing red. It was these two deviants that ruined her first Halloween at Hogwarts, tainting every Halloween to follow.

**October 31, 1973 - Third Year**

Marci woke up early on her third Halloween at Hogwarts. Even after two full years at Hogwarts, she couldn't help but be homesick on certain days. This was one of them. Marci rolled over in bed, wanting nothing more than to sleep through the whole day. Halloween was probably her least favorite day ever at Hogwarts. Something terrifying always seemed to happen on Halloween at Hogwarts. A tantalizing smell kept Marci from allowing herself to sleep through morning classes.

The whole dormitory smelt like spiced pumpkin candles, her mother's favorite. Marci yearned for home. She took a huge sniff, relishing in the warmth it brought to her bones. Wrapping herself tighter in her blankets, she thought of her mother and her brother, wondering what they were doing this morning. Actually, Marci didn't have to wonder. She already knew. The same thing had happened every year on Halloween in her household, since before she could remember.

It was a weird mix of modern day tradition and ancient Gaelic tradition. Her mother had an interesting mix of spiritual beliefs. She believed that everything was a living thing with a soul and energy. Nancy thought that you could tap into these energies and manipulate them to the will of the caster. She was also Irish. Marci's great grandmother was pure-blooded Irish and was born and raised on the Irish coast. Her mother had grown up celebrating the traditional Gaelic holidays. Because of that, October 31 was a very important day for her family.

Nancy would wake the children up early every Halloween, regardless of their protests, to head out to the vegetable patch to harvest the food. That was the Irish tradition. October 31 is the ancient Irish New Year, the day of the harvest. The family would spend the morning gathering fresh veggies and herbs. Nancy would cook fresh eggs, straight from the coop, and bacon bought at the local farm. She would squeeze oranges and the children would binge on the sweet juices. In the afternoon, the family would sit around the table and carve out giant turnips, also an old Irish tradition. Marci always thought it was weird when she saw other families carving pumpkins.

After that they would dwell on the past year, sharing their favorite memories and munching on cookies. There was never a lack of treats on Halloween in Marci's house. Most children had to wait until evening to devour sweets; Marci got her first cookie before noon. The family would set New Year's resolutions before getting ready to go out and trick or treat.

When they got home, Marci's mom would spend a few minutes building two small fires out in the back lot. Then she'd come in and the kids would race through the house, turning off all the lights and lighting candles. The family would troop outside and Mom would send up prayers to the universe, for a prosperous year and for protection from any evil energy. After a rendition of the Lord's Prayer, the family put down their candles and ran between the two fires in an ancient cleansing ceremony older than time itself.

Marci felt tears stream down her face as she thought of home. She missed her mother. She even missed her brother and his constant pestering. As much as she loved Hogwarts, there were nights when Marci just wanted someone to tuck her in at night and tell her bed time stories, stories from the Bible and ancient Irish folklore.

Wiping her tears away Marci swung out of bed and dressed, quickly wrapping herself up tight. She wanted to go out and walk around the grounds to collect the last of the late blooming flowers. It was the closest thing Marci had to harvesting vegetables.

She didn't find very many flowers on the grounds so she took to picking some pathetic, wilting Dandelions. When she finally made her way back to the castle, she had a small bundle of yellow flowers. She took the black ribbon from her hair and wound it around the stems, making a makeshift bouquet. As she reached the Great Hall, she heard a small gong ringing through the halls, the first class of the day would start in five minutes. Marci ran up the Grand Staircase, praying the whole way the stairs wouldn't change too much. McGonagall would murder her if she was late again.

Marci's prayers were answered and she dropped into her seat just as the professor stepped out of her office. Jeanne leaned over and dropped a small white package in front of her. "I thought you might be hungry. I didn't see you at breakfast," she whispered.

Marci unwrapped the paper to find two pieces of buttered toast and sent a grateful smile towards her friend. "Thank you," she whispered. After the lecture was over, McGonagall handed out a tea pot to each student and instructed them to transfigure it into a tortoise.

Halfway through their practical something small hit Marci on the side of the head. She looked down to find a scrunched up ball of paper. She opened it to find a note, scribbled in awful, blocky letters.

_Nice flowers. Are they from your boyfriend? Are they from Snivellus? That bundle of weeds probably seems like a bouquet of roses to him. Give Snivellus our love today in Potions._

It was obvious that this was a note from Sirius Black. Marci turned around and glared at him. He just grinned in response, giving James a high five. Marci grabbed her precious dandelions and lovingly placed them in her bag, trying her hardest not to cry. Typically she didn't let these two boys get the best of her, but today she was vulnerable, today she was missing her mother. These little dandelions were the closest she would come this Halloween to home.

*~SP~*

In Double Potions Marci was subdued and quiet. Professor Slughorn had sent her off with Severus Snape, a Slytherin, to work on their Advanced Potions homework while he got the rest of the class settled. Both students were brilliant brewers but Severus more so than Marci. She was studying fourth year Potions; Severus was well into the seventh year curriculum and prepping for his N.E.W.T (Nasty Exhausting Wizarding Test). Most days, Severus taught Marci while Slughorn ignored the two.

Over the past two years, the pair had developed an interesting relationship. Inside their little work room they talked about all kinds of things: the magical properties of various plants, Marci's family and home, the different books each was reading, and occasionally they talked of more personal matters. Mostly they talked about Marci's life during her years at Hogwarts and before she found out she was a witch. Rarely did Severus talk about his life but from the tidbits he had shared, Marci had gathered that his life at home wasn't perfect. His parents fought and Severus was very much ignored and neglected, though the boy never came out and said that. Whenever Marci pried too far into his home life his eyes would become vacant and if he replied at all, his answers were vague.

Outside the classroom, they barely spoke if they weren't alone but they studied together almost every day. For some reason each child felt more comfortable speaking openly in their private classroom or while exploring the dungeons together. Marci was pretty sure Severus was uncomfortable around Jeanne, Marci's constant companion. He didn't dislike her; he just wasn't as social as the two girls. Severus rarely prattled on about something meaningless. He preferred to save his words for something he thought was of the most utmost importance. For this, he got ignored by Jeanne for the most part, who liked to gossip about the going-ons about the castle. She always had commentary on who liked who, who was failing which classes, and any other good gossip she caught in the hallways. As the two girls got older, the gossip seemed to get darker. Jeanne had started to hear tidbits about families who supported You-Know-Who and had even heard of a few seventh years who had taken his mark. Mostly the girls tried to ignore the scarier gossip that filled the halls but it seemed that the chaos Voldemort was wreaking on Britain was finally penetrating Hogwarts.

**October 26, 1973 - Third Year, four days prior**

Marci and Jeanne ran, holding hands, up the corridor towards the library. Their book bags were swinging against their hips and they were giggling like the school girls they were. They had just seen Amos Diggory and Violetta Summers kissing in an empty classroom. It wouldn't have been so funny except Violetta was a teaching assistant this year! She was kissing a student. Not just any student, a prefect. This was good ripe gossip for the making.

The two girls came to a screeching halt in front of the library doors to catch their breath. "Marc, that was so funny!" Jeanne cried, holding her sides. "It looked like Amos was eating her face!" With that newly planted image in her mind, Marci dropped her bags and fell to the floor, Jeanne falling on top of her. The girls rolled around in fits of laughter for a few moments when they heard a high pitched, and disapproving, "Ahem."

The girls looked up into the narrow, sunken face of Madam Pince, the ancient librarian. "If you will be so kind," she spat, "as to temper your hysterics, it would be much appreciated." The old woman glared down at the girls with her hawk like eyes and slammed the double doors. This just had the girls laughing that much harder.

When they finally managed to make it to their usual study alcove overlooking the lake, the girls were wiping away tears of laughter and knocking their heads together to whisper. Severus looked up from his usual chair giving the girls a quizzical look; they burst into fits of silent laughter. Severus scowled and returned to his book.

"Come on Severus, you can crack a smile once in a while," Marci commented, sitting down next to him and giving him a friendly kick under the table. He ignored her so Marci turned back to Jeanne. "What do you think will happen if Professor Dumbledore finds out about Amos and Violetta?"

Jeanne just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Amos is 17. I guess he can make his own decisions." Jeanne's nose pulled towards her eyebrows in an unpleasant realization. "Amos is 17, you would think after living that long he'd be a better kisser." The image of the Hufflepuff prefect eating Violetta's face popped into Marci's head again and she almost fell out of her seat. Severus regarded the girls, and this new information, silently with raised eyebrows.

In a low deep voice, which seemed unnatural coming from a thirteen year old boy, he said, "I'm sure the headmaster is already aware of the coupling."

Marci snorted. "Coupling. Really, Severus. Can't you talk like the third year you are once in a while?" Severus ignored her again. "Whatever," Marci mumbled.

"Severus," Jeanne piped up, in one of her rare confrontations with the boy, "why are you always such a buzz kill?"

This caught his attention. "Excuse me, a what?" His voice had lost some of its deepness and was gearing more towards a normal octave for twelve year old boys.

"A buzz kill," Jeanne replied, superiorly. It wasn't everyday Jeanne knew something Severus didn't. "Someone who kills the mood, ruins a good time, puts a burden on others laughter." Jeanne raised her nose into the air in clear disapproval of Severus's disinterest in her juicy news.

"Well," Severus replied, "I would rather be a 'buzz kill', than stick my nose where it doesn't belong. Amos and _Ms. Summers_," Severus put an emphasis on Violetta's proper title, "is no one's business but their own, except perhaps the headmasters. But that is simply because she is under his tutelage."

"Yea but it still makes for some good conversation," Jeanne replied, a little put out. "Not to mention a good laugh." After she realized Severus wasn't going to go for the bait, she let out a little huff of defeat and turned back to Marci to resume their giggling.

It wasn't long after that that Madam Pince had come along and chased them out of the library for their "blatant disrespect of the sacred art of reading". It didn't matter that Severus was the perfect example of someone who respected "the sacred art of reading" and was perfectly quiet and on task. He was forever associated with the two giggling girls as they spent every day at the same table together. Madam Pince had threatened them with detention if they came back into the library again in the next seven days. So the trio had taken to studying in the empty class room that Jeanne and Marci had happened across Amos and Violetta's misdeeds. As it was the pair stumbled in on the trio studying, thinking the classroom was empty and ready for their rendezvous, twice that week.

**October 31, 1973 - Third Year, Halloween **

Marci giggled as she remembered watching the surprise on Amos and Violetta's face as they had stumbled into the classroom, wrapped in each other's arms, only to find three tiny third years staring at them. The pair quickly backed out of the room without a word. Marci giggled over her textbook, rather wishing she could steal away with Jeanne for an adventure, or even with Severus, instead of sitting in front of a boiling cauldron.

Today's lesson was about finding substitute ingredients when you don't have exactly what you needed to complete a potion. You couldn't brew a very complex potion with these skills but if you ever needed a basic potion in an emergency, you could brew one without all the proper ingredients. Severus went through the basics of plant substitution in potions with Marci after she had finished reading the text, answering her questions with patience. Then he set her to her assignment and started on his own.

The potion Marci was to brew wasn't a glamorous one. It was used to ease the pain of urination when one had kidney stones, or a urinary tract infection. Marci wrinkled her nose in disgust when she read that. Many of the ingredients in this potion were about as glamorous as the potion's use: powdered armadillo liver, ground belladona root (which stunk to high heaven), and bat urine, among others.

The missing ingredient today was a single drop of dittany. Ultimately it was the ingredient that tied the other magical properties together, the ingredient that activated the whole potion. Without it the potion would be rendered useless and turn toxic.

Marci looked up in dismay. "Severus, this is ridiculous. The ingredient could be anything!" She let a whine creep into her voice on the last word.

Severus looked up from his potion, keeping his finger on his place in the text book. "You need to reason it out Marci, use your knowledge of Herbology to find a similar ingredient." He turned back to his potion.

Marci grinned from ear to ear. Severus just kept stirring his potion. He had given her a hint about where to find her new ingredient. "Thanks," she said absently.

"There's nothing to thank me for," Severus replied, starting to chop up frog heart. That just made Marci grin all the more. Severus was such a Slytherin, always going about things in a roundabout way.

Marci rummaged in her bag and gently laid her beloved dandelions on the work table, out of the way of spilling potions. Finally she found her Advanced Herbology text and dropped it on the work table, sloshing Severus potion. He scowled over at Marci, silently warning her to be careful.

His face dropped into blatant surprise for a second when he saw Marci's dandelions but he quickly shifted over into a mask of neutrality, as he was taking to more and more often. Marci was learning to take these moments in stride but she never stopped wondering what Severus was thinking behind his neutral mask. He so seldom spoke his mind.

Pulling out her book, Marci said, "Well, first I need to look up dittany and figure out its main properties." She looked to her friend and mentor for confirmation but he didn't say anything, or even acknowledge that she had spoken, although she thought she saw a hint of a smile playing at the boys lips. "Dittany, a plant with powerful restorative properties," she read out loud, "has many uses and comes in a number of forms. This flower is rare and expensive to buy. Most commonly found in the wizarding medical community, the plant can be soaked in solution to produce Essence of Dittany, a strong potion that will instantly grow scabs over any wound. It takes a huge amount of dittany to produce the smallest amount of Essence. The roots contain a very precious oil that when collected, through shredding, create a powerful anti-inflammatory." Marci thought for a moment, perhaps this was the property that she needed to harness. Most people wouldn't need to heal skin for a urinary tract infection or if they had kidney stones or gull stones. "Severus, that's it, isn't it?" she asked, waiting for validation. The boy, who was now drenched in sweat and stirring his potion vigorously, gave an almost imperceptible nod. Had Marci not known him so well, she would have missed it all together.

"Alright, now comes the hard part," Marci said, digging into the index of her book and looking up anti-inflammatory. Marci was sure her answer was within reach. Her face dropped. There were exactly six and one half pages of plants that contained an anti-inflammatory property of some kind or another.

Marci sighed, knowing she still had close to three hours to finish her assignment. That was more than enough time to get through the long list of plants that could possibly contain the solution to her problem. Slowly she started with the first plant on the list, carefully comparing its properties to that of Dittany. The first one obviously wouldn't work because not only was it an anti-inflammatory but it was also a deadly poison and Marci wasn't yet trained to counter act poison to gain access to the more useful properties of these types of plants. So she flipped to the next one. 'Breath, Dragons', or more commonly known as Dragon's Breath. That definitely wouldn't work as it singed your skin when you touched it.

Marci spent the next two hours dredging through her Herbology book. It seemed like it was a never ending processes of elimination. She had collected a few plants that may work for her purpose or may drastically alter the chemical components of her potion. She still wasn't convinced she had found the right and perfect plant yet. With every passing plant that failed to live up to her expectations, Marci got more and more frustrated. It seemed she'd never come to the end of the long list of anti-inflammatory plants. At the end of the Cs, and the first two pages, Marci threw her book to the ground.

Startled, Severus looked up. "Are you all right?" he asked, a quick look of concern playing across his face.

Frustration was seeping through Marci's every pore and Severus unconsciously took a step back from her. Marci relaxed a little when she realized she was freaking Severus out. "I'm sorry Severus. I hope I didn't ruin your potion," she said, waving her hand at his cauldron. He just shook his head no. "I just am so frustrated. I feel like this is a ridiculous task. Every plant I've researched is either poisonous, or is native to the plains of Wisconsin, or eats your face." The thought of Amos and Violetta crept into her head again and she let out a giggle, easing her tension. Her shoulders slumped forward and she sat down in defeat. "I just can't do it Severus. I think I'm just going to take a Troll on this assignment."

"Marci," Severus said firmly, coming up beside her, "you are anything but a troll so therefore you will not get a Troll on this assignment." His voice became softer and less academic. "Come on, you're the best herbologist in our year. Way beyond anyone else. Even ahead of me," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can do this. Stop looking at it from a potions point of view and try thinking through it from a different perspective." Severus glanced again at the dandelions and turned back to his potion.

Marci sat there for another ten minutes wallowing in self-pity but also reveling in Severus's compliment. He had never said anything like that about her before. He was right though, Marci was the best in Herbology, the best in the whole class. She was studying to take her NEWT (Nasty Exhausting Wizarding Test) in Herbology at the end of the term. She could thank her mother for that. Even though her mother was a Muggle, Nancy firmly believed that nature supplied the best remedies and had studied properties of plants, passing on her knowledge to Marci before the girl could even walk. Even Muggles knew plants held healing properties. Marci knew all the plants that healed cuts, pulled venom out of spider bites, and soothed a tummy ache. Her mother use to have her go out and collect dandelion leaves for tea when her brother suffered severe tummy aches. Marci picked up her dandelion bouquet and fondly pet the soft yellow flower. A thought came to her and she looked at her flowers more closely, they were leaking a small amount of very sticky sap where she had cut them from their stocks.

She gently placed her flowers down and jumped off her chair. Eagerly she picked up her Herbology book and flipped back to the index. Sure enough, dandelions were there under anti-inflammatory. She practically tore pages from the book to get to the right section, taking her finger, she scrolled along the page until she found what she was looking for.

There it was, a tiny note at the bottom of the profile on dandelions: "A fleeting property of the dandelion is that its milk can be used as an anti-inflammatory. Although this practice has long since been passed over since the process is long and tedious. For more information on milking a plant, please see page 394."

Marci let out a whoop of triumph. Luckily Severus had finished his potion during her wallowing session because at her outburst he sent it flying across the table in surprise.

Severus coolly scooped up his cauldron and placed it back on the table. "I take it you found what you were looking for?" His eyes bore into hers and he raised a single eyebrow. It looked like he was trying to hold back another smile, but Marci couldn't fully tell.

"I sure did," she said, holding up her wilted bouquet. "It was right in front of my nose, all along." Happily Marci started to unwrap her dandelions, preparing to extract the milk, completely ignoring the comment in the book that said the process was long and tedious. Severus grabbed them out of her hand.

"That is a poor choice," he said, sneering. "Did you even read the text on milking?" Shocked, Marci shook her head in bewilderment. Why had Severus become so angry all of a sudden? It wasn't like him to be grabby or pushy.

"No, I figured it isn't that hard, I just need to get the sticky stuff out, right?"

"No, milking is a delicate process. If you had put straight sap, squeezed from this plant, into that potion, you not only would have ruined it but it would have started giving off deadly fumes. You could have killed us both." Severus threw the dandelions down in front of her and turned away without another word.

Marci sat in bewilderment at Severus's behavior. Even he knew that milking wasn't taught in Herbology. It was a potions skill and only taught in Potions class. Although the Potions and Herbology world collided quite often, this particular skill was unique to brewing.

*~SP~*

Marci fumed throughout her next classes. She could not believe the nerve of Severus Snape. How dare he get so angry and take it out on her beloved dandelion bouquet; didn't he know how much it meant to her? He not only had disrespected her and her family tradition but he had also stormed out of the dungeons in a righteous fury. Leaving her to figure out how to milk a stupid plant on her own! As it was she had to go out and collect fresh dandelions and she had to go by herself! He knew she would need fresh flowers and he left her to collect them on her own. _Sometimes that boy is a right git,_ Marci found herself thinking throughout the day.

After Double Potions, Marci and Jeanne stopped off for a bit of lunch in the Great Hall. Neither girl had spoken much. Marci was reminiscing over Severus's temper tantrum and Jeanne was pissed because she had literally melted her cauldron today in class. How she managed to mess up a simple shrinking solution, Marci had no idea. She just shrugged as Jeanne gave a rendition of her epic melt down which included a ball of flames shooting from her cauldron and hitting Avery square in the face. That did bring a smile to Marci's face. She disliked Avery almost as much as she disliked Sirius. Almost. At least the Slytherin boy, Avery, left her mostly alone, though he was terrifying and people said he liked to dabble in the Dark Arts.

After lunch the girls strolled out to Herbology. Seeing the green houses looming in the distance brought an unexpected joy to Marci's heart and her day improved. She loved digging her fingers into the soil and watching the plants lap up the water she gave them. Hopefully Professor Sprout would have something challenging, but rewarding, for Marci to do today. For the most part she had been swamped with essays that took her into the library to research exotic magical plants and their properties and how best to handle them. This was in preparation for her N.E.W.T. exam she would be taking in Herbology this year, alongside Severus' N.E.W.T in Potions. How the old professor had convinced the Headmaster to let her sit an N.E.W.T. in her third year, she did not know. Although she did know Severus was sitting his Potions N.E.W.T. as well that year. He had taken his O.W.L (Ordinary Wizarding Level) in Potions their first year as Marci had taken her O.W.L. in Herbolgoy.

As it was, Professor Sprout had Marci supervising her fellow Hufflepuffs while they pruned the Devil's Snare. This process was highly dangerous if one was alone as the plant would take one of its long tentacles and slowly start to crush you to death if it got a good grip. Luckily these particular plants were small and relatively harmless although if they got a good grip around your wrist or one of your fingers, they could break your bones and cut off circulation. With that in mind, Marci's job was to free any student who got too tangled up. As it was she had to cut out two Ravenclaws and five Hufflepuffs that day. One Ravenclaw girl, Ameri, had somehow managed to allow two of the Devil's Snare to get a hold of her and it seemed they were playing a sadistic game of tug-a-war with her. Of course the plants were not strong enough to pull the girl apart yet but Marci was sure she would be sore in the morning.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Marci finished up helping with the pruning process and was sent off to research different types of wand wood and their magical properties, while the rest of the class got to weed the flower beds.

Divination passed without much thought and before Marci knew it she was headed down the stairs with Jeanne to get ready for the Halloween feast. As they walked down the tower Jeanne was bouncing on her toes talking a mile a minute about what she wanted to dress up as for dinner.

"I know we're not going trick or treating or anything," -Jeanne bumped off a hand rail and knocked into Marci's side- "but I just can't not dress up! Even though I grew up in the wizarding world, Mom always let me dress up for Halloween, it's tradition! Marci," Jeanne whined, giving her friend a very serious look, "you have to dress up with me. Do not leave me hanging." She stopped and stepped into an alcove, crossing her arms. "I am not moving until you agree to dress up tonight." Every year on Halloween, Marci got the same whining lecture from Jeanne on tradition and the importance of keeping with it. Jeanne didn't have to tell Marci about how important family tradition was but dressing up on Halloween was so childish, so Muggleish and every year the two girls got laughed out of the Great Hall. Marci wasn't looking forward to another Halloween in costume.

Marci sighed and looked at her best friend. "No Jeanne, were at Hogwarts now and wizards don't dress up for Halloween. We go through this every year."

"Well good thing we're witches then," Jeanne retorted, still giving Marci that stubborn look that said she wouldn't budge. Then she added, "And every year you acquiesce to my request." In that moment Jeanne really reminded Marci of Severus and his big words.

"Absolutely not, Jeanne, I refuse to look like an idiot in front of the entire school. Again."

"Why do you care so much? We're not exactly at the top of the popularity pole. Come on, Marc. Look at who we hang out with."

Marci looked around, almost as if she expected to see someone else.

"Exactly," Jeanne said. "It's me, you, and that Slytherin boy."

"That Slytherin boy has a name Jeanne."

"I know. But he never talks to me."

"That's a lie; he talked to you last time we were in the Library."

"Yeah, but he made me feel like an idiot," Jeanne said, indignantly.

"He didn't mean it like that. That's just the way Sev is."

"Oh, Sev is it now?" Jeanne sounded a little jealous.

"No, it's only Sev when he's not around. I would never call him that to his face."

"Good," Jeanne said, feeling a little better. "Now are you going to dress up with me or not?"

"I will if you acknowledge our Slytherin friend and say his name." Marci knew that Jeanne was jealous of the friendship between her and Severus. After all, they spent a good chunk of time alone together during Potions and often took to exploring the castle, especially the dungeons, together. Jeanne wouldn't venture down below the basement after their first day at Hogwarts. She said the dungeons were dangerous and unnatural. They frightened her but they intrigued Marci and she was glad to have a Slytherin to roam the corridors with.

"No," Jeanne said, stubbornly. For the life of herself, Marci couldn't figure out why Jeanne refused to say Severus's name but she just never did.

"Do it, or I'm not even coming to the feast."

"Uh-uh," Jeanne mumbled, shaking her head.

"Fine. I'm leaving and tonight at the feast I'm sitting with our Slytherin friend. _At his table._"

Marci pretended to step out of the alcove but before her foot hit the ground she felt Jeanne pull her back. A look of horror was on her friend's face. Jeanne was so gullible. It was obvious she had given in and was going to say Severus's name but before she could the two girls heard something else.

"Snivellus." It was Sirius Black. Marci's face flushed and her hands clenched into fists. She was ready to pummel Sirius. "That, my dear friend, is who we're pranking today."

James and Sirius were obviously making their way down from Divination as well. "Brilliant," replied James. "Maybe we should give him a bath, since he hasn't figured out how to turn on the showers in Slytherin."

"Do they even have showers in Slytherin?" asked Sirius. Both boys laughed and Marci heard the faint laughter of Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

Jeanne looked frightened and sank to the back of the alcove, hidding behind the statue there. Marci followed her, hoping to hear more of Sirius and James' plan. "That'll be a real laugh, fellas!" Peter squeaked, as the four passed the alcove. Marci saw James and Sirius strut by, superiorly walking in front of the other two. Lupin loped along behind and Peter absolutely scampered to keep up.

"Oh don't you worry, Peter. I've been planning this one for a while. It's going to be a prank of epic proportions. You can count on that. As for now, me and my fine friend here need to go do some plotting. Let's go Prongs." With that the boys disappeared down the stair well and Marci lost track of their voices.

Instinctively Marci hugged her friend, trying to sooth the other girl's fear. "Let's go Jeanne," she said, grabbing her best friend's hand. "Let's go get dressed up for Halloween."

*~SP~*

Once again, Jeanne had convinced Marci to dress up for Halloween, a tradition few Muggleborn students brought with them to Hogwarts. Mostly it was the first year students who dressed up for Halloween. After that, they realized that nothing good came from that tradition, at least not at Hogwarts. Jeanne unfortunately had never grown out of it. She didn't care what others thought of her and she enjoyed dressing up, so every year she dragged Marci up to the dormitories before the feast and fitted her in some ridiculous outfit. This year they were medieval courtiers.

Jeanne had Marci dressed up in a ridiculous purple gown with a full corset that threatened to crush her ribs. How Jeanne managed to find it at Hogwarts, Marci had no idea. Jeanne in turn was in a matching green one. They were "proper ladies" as Jeanne put it, but all that Marci was, was humiliated. Regardless of her internal shame, Marci marched up to the Great Hall for the feast with her head held high. There wasn't a thing that Marci wouldn't do for Jeanne.

When the duo got to the Great Hall, to Marci's dismay but not to her surprise, no one else was dressed up, not even a single first year. Jeanne didn't seem to notice. She elegantly picked up the hem of her skirt and floated into the Great Hall to find a seat at the Hufflepuff table. Heads turned as she walked by. Marci stared at her shoes and hurried after Jeanne.

Out of the corner of her eye Marci saw Sirius Black and James Potter mocking the two girls, pretending to prance around the Gryffindor table. Many of the other students were laughing at the two boys antics but others were shaking their head in disapproval. It looked like half the student body thought the two dressed up third years were adorable, mainly the female half. The other half were laughing their heads off. You would think after three years of seeing Marci and Jeanne dressed up for Halloween, people would get use to it but apparently that wasn't the case. Jeanne began to sit down at the far end of the table, with her back to the Gryffindors.

"No, Jeanne, let's sit over there," Marci said, pointing to the other end of the table. She grabbed her friend by the arm and hauled her to her feet before she could protest. "I want to sit where I can watch James and Sirius. I don't trust them not to kill Severus tonight, even if he was being a right git." After two years of Halloween at Hogwarts, Marci had learned that James and Sirius always planned something spectacular and it usually involved Severus.

"What do you mean? I thought you liked Severus," Jeanne piped up, crossing to the other side of the Hufflepuff table.

"I do, I like him very much but he was being kind of mean today." Marci didn't elaborate.

"Oh," was all Jeanne said, as she smoothed the folds of her gown.

The meal passed in relative normality. Marci thoroughly ignored Severus and kept her eyes on James and Sirius. She admired the delicate pumpkins set across the hall and the candles high up in the air. The scent of spiced pumpkin seemed to seep from the walls. It had followed Marci around all day. The professors never failed to put a lot of effort into decorating for a holiday. The castle was dressed in her best for the ancient Gaelic New Year.

Halfway through dessert, Marci saw James and Sirius give one another a look. James got up and walked around the Gryffindor table towards the opposite end of the Great Hall, toward the Slytherins. Before he could reach their table though, he made an abrupt right and walked right between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Marci didn't take her eyes off him for a moment. Had she looked away or even blinked, she would have missed James waving his wand under his cloak. He met up with Sirius at the doors and together they walked out.

Marci desperately looked around for Severus. There he was, smashed between Lucius Malfoy, the prefect, and Greg Goyle, a second year. Severus seemed to be concentrating on his plate, as if it were of the utmost importance. It was obvious something on it had caught his attention. He sat still and stiff for a good five minutes before heading out the door as well.

Marci scrambled from her seat, not even thinking about Jeanne, and trotted after Severus. Faintly she heard Jeanne questioning where she was going. When Marci stumbled through the heavy doors to the Great Hall, she stood in an empty Entrance Hall. She strained to hear any voices, any footsteps, to give her a hint of which way the three boys had gone. But silence rang through the castle. Thinking hard, Marci decided that James and Sirius wouldn't attempt anything in the dungeons. That was Severus's territory. So she started up the stairs, climbing towards the towers, wondering if the boys had lead Severus into some unused classroom. Again she stopped to listen. She heard nothing. Now she started to panic. This wasn't part of her plan. She wasn't supposed to lose Severus!

Marci climbed and climbed and climbed towards where she had heard the Gryffindor Common Room was. She flew past portraits and paintings that shouted out at her to slow down but she ignored their warnings. One particularly fat lady screamed in fear and spilled her mead as Marci raced past. Finally she hit the last landing of the tallest tower. There was nothing there but an empty platform and a huge round window with moonlight streaming through. She went to the window, desperate for another clue of where Severus was.

It didn't take her long to spot him. She saw three figures silhouetted against the glimmer of the lake. Two were obviously James and Sirius. The other was a boy she didn't know. He was short and scrawny, smaller even the Peter Pettigrew. Then a movement caught her eye and she turned her head in the other direction. Against the shadows of the trees of the Forbidden forest she saw him. Severus. Marci let out a sigh of relief and watched. Severus was safe for now. Hoping he would stay that way for a while she started to race down the stairs.

By the time she got to the Entrance Hall she was exhausted but she didn't stop to catch her breath. With all her might, she pushed against the doors leading to the Hogwarts grounds and started to run towards the Forbidden Forest, her dress billowing around her. She planned to drag Severus right back into the castle where he was safe and give him a lecture on following no good hooligans out of the castle at night. She was halfway between the Forest and the lake when she heard it: a gigantic splash and a scream of terror. She also heard two boys laughing, James and Sirius.

Without thinking, Marci took off in the direction of the lake. As she came up to the shore, she saw a small figure splashing in the water. Marci shoved Sirius to the ground on her way past him and dived into the water, swimming with all her might. Her water logged dress was heavy but she tried to ignore the weight and stay afloat, all the while cursing the corset that crushed her lungs.

Time seemed to stop for Marci. She could hear James and Sirius laughing even harder now and the distant sound of running feet. She could also hear a horrible gurgling sound coming from in front of her. It seemed to take forever but Marci finally reached the boy just as his head was slipping under the water.

"Oh no you don't!" Marci shouted, grabbing the boy's collar and pulling him upwards. As she got the boy's head above water, hers went under. She felt the boy latch onto her torso trying to use her as a floatation device. She couldn't hold his weight though and no matter how hard she kicked she couldn't get her head above the water. With all her might she grabbed the boy by the waist and launched him towards what she hoped was the shore. Luckily he was so small or Marci wouldn't have been able to throw him like she did. He lost his grip on Marci's shoulders and went flying but not before he kicked her in the gut. What little air Marci had left whooshed out of her lungs and she hung suspended in the water, gasping for breath and just swallowing more of the disgusting green water.

The next thing Marci knew she was gasping in air and her body was trying to clear the water from her lungs. Someone had grabbed _her_ collar and was dragging her out of the lake. Her feet were slipping along in the deep mud and reeds. She tried to regain her balance. Whoever was dragging her along didn't seem to notice or care and just kept dragging her, eventually lifting her out of the water by her armpits. Her savior dumped her unceremoniously onto the grassy bank and she coughed up the last of the water. In the distance she could hear Sirius and James laughing and running back towards the castle.

"Glad you finally got a bath Snivellus!" Sirius called, as they ran up the steps to the Entrance Hall. The two boys disappeared into the glowing light of the castle.

"What were you thinking?" Severus raged. "You could have died!" He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Marci.

She stood up indignantly, her dress sopping wet, and took a step towards Severus, getting angry herself. "Well, someone had to save that poor boy from drowning! What were _you _thinking Severus Snape? That you were going to let James and Sirius kill him!" she yelled, pointing towards the shivering first year who still hadn't managed to cough up all the water in his lungs. "He was dying," she said acidly.

"So were you, in case you hadn't noticed," Severus spat. "Look at you, shivering and catching cold. For what? For _him_?" Severus said, his voice dropping an octave and becoming suddenly cold and distant. Without another word he waved his wand at Marci and her dress dried instantly and felt like it had come straight out of the dryer. She crossed her arms and pointedly looked at the other boy, not saying a word. After a few seconds Severus got what she was not saying and without taking his eyes off Marci he waved his wand in the boy's direction. Soon after, he stopped shivering as well. Neither Marci nor Severus spoke for a few moments.

"Go away," Severus said, just barely loud enough for the little boy to hear. He didn't have to be told twice. He took off towards the castle crying.

"What were you even doing here," Severus asked, his voice still dripping with disdain.

"Saving you, of course," Marci said, like that was obvious.

All the anger left Severus's face and his shoulders slumped. He dropped his arms to his side and balled his hands into fists.

"Obviously I wasn't the one who needed saving, Marci." His voice had returned to its normal tone but behind it Marci detected fear. What he was scared of though, she had no idea.

"Obviously." It was all Marci could think to say in the situation. Severus's emotions had changed so drastically and so quickly she didn't know what to make of them.

"What's wrong?" Marci asked, taking a step towards Severus and reaching her hand out, as if to comfort him. Abruptly, Severus shuffled two steps back. Marci's hand fell limp at her side.

"Nothing, what's wrong with you?" Severus spat defensively.

"Well, besides almost drowning, nothing," Marci said. "Except my friend is mad at me and I don't know why," she added quietly.

A pained look scampered across Severus's face. "I'm not mad at you," he said, looking at his shoes.

"Something is wrong Severus and I want to know what it is." Marci tried to imitate her mother's voice when one of her children had done something wrong. She wasn't completely sure she had pulled it off, though.

Severus looked up in surprise. Marci had never spoken to him like that. Jeanne was used to it, but it had taken Severus by surprise.

"_You_ almost died," Severus mumbled, turning away from Marci, looking out at the Forest.

Marci sighed with impatience. "Severus, I know that. I get it, ok? You're mad I saved that other kid's life. Please let it go and tell me what's wrong."

"That is what's wrong."

Hearing that, Marci took a step to face Severus but he turned away again, hiding his face.

"Severus, please look at me," Marci pleaded. Severus turned to face her. He wasn't crying, but Marci thought she saw his eyes mist over.

"Marci, you don't understand," he said in an unsteady voice. "It's one thing when James and Sirius tease me. It's a whole other thing entirely when they drag you into it." His voice became steadier and filled with anger. He looked off towards the castle.

"No one dragged me into this. I came here for you. I chose to be here _with you_. Can't you see that?"

"Well, you shouldn't have," Severus snapped as he started to walk back towards the castle, leaving Marci by the lake. She ran towards him and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around.

"Don't you walk away from me! Not now Severus. We always talk about me, my house, my mom, my cat but we never talk about you. Now I want to talk about you. Can't you please talk to me?" Marci pleaded.

"No," he replied, all emotion gone from his voice. "There's nothing to talk about."

Marci's heart fell, why wouldn't he talk to her? How could Severus listen so intently when Marci was homesick or was particularly hurt from one of Sirius's more cruel jokes and yet when he was the one hurting her, he refused to discuss it.

Quietly Marci said, "I only came out here to help you, Severus. I was worried about you."

She still had hold of Severus's shoulder and she felt his muscles tense. Suddenly, Severus's arm came up and shoved Marci's hand away.

"Well next time, don't. I don't need your help, Marcella. I don't need anyone's help!" Severus started to walk away as a tear slipped down Marci's cheek. He had never been rough with her, nor had he ever used her full name. It was obviously meant to be condescending. She wiped away the tear angrily and ran after him again. This time she shoved him from behind. Instinctively he turned around and whipped out his wand, pointing it straight at Marci's heart.

"Everyone needs help sometimes Severus!" Marci yelled. "Even you," she added, more calmly but no less hurt. "When you care for someone, that's what you do, you help them and you're there for them when they need you. And right now I need _you_; I need you to help me understand why you're acting this way."

Severus opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but the words got caught in his throat. Shaking his head he walked away.

"That's right Severus, walk away, walk away like you did today in class. Walk away like you always do when I need you. Just go!" This time Marci turned away stalking off towards the lake. She hastily sat down on the hard, packed soil and let the water lap at her shoes. Her tears flowed freely now as she thought Severus would have made his way back to the castle.

A few minutes later she heard someone sit down quietly next to her and put their arm around her shoulder. She shrugged it off but the arm found its place around her shoulders again.

"Sev, go away," she whined.

"No, I won't go away. Not if you need me," he said quietly. Severus took a deep breath and his whole body shuttered. "No one has ever cared for me," he whispered, his voice breaking. "No one has ever helped me, except for Lily, and you."

Marci turned away. "I've never seen Lily Evans help you."

"She was the only friend I had before I met you, before I came to Hogwarts. She was the first person who ever cared if I lived or died. You don't just forget someone like that."

"Even when they are ashamed of you just because of where the Sorting Hat put you?"

"Lily isn't ashamed of me, she's scared."

Marci snorted. "Scared of what?"

Severus looked at Marci and raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you ever scared of me?"

Marci didn't hesitate. "No. Never," she said, confidently.

"Are you ever scared of my house mates?"

Marci looked away, out across the lake. It was hard for her to admit that she was scared of anything, let alone anyone. She wasn't easily intimidated but if she were honest with herself she would say that a few of the older Slytherins did scare her. She didn't like the way they looked at her or the way they sneered at other Muggle-born students. She'd seen some of the older Slytherin students attack younger, Muggle-born students. They weren't the typical hexes one threw in the hallway, like Bat-Bogie hexes. They were malicious and verged on dark magic.

Marci just shook her head. She wasn't ready to admit this fear to anyone, even Severus. She knew not to let people see her fear or they would take advantage of it. So she buried it deep inside her mind behind her courage and fierce loyalty.

Marci wasn't sure if she fooled Severus or not, but he just replied, "Lily is. She can't hide her fear like you can. So she stays away. She's afraid I'll become one of them, let them influence me for the worst. Lily doesn't understand though. I've seen what those kids will become. I grew up with its repercussions." Severus took another shuttering breath and braced himself. "My mom's family, the Prince family, they were dark. I don't know what they did to her but I know what it's done to me. There's no love lost for me with her. I don't even know why my mother kept me after I was born."

Marci let out a cry. "Oh Sev, don't say that!" She laid her hand on his knee.

"No Marci, don't feel sorry for me. Just know that I have never had someone love me and I have never cared for anyone besides myself. I couldn't, not where I came from. Not if I wanted to survive. I've never known how to love anyone but myself. I'm sorry I hurt you tonight. I want to be as good a friend to you as you are to me but I've never known how to do that. Logically, I'm going to make some mistakes." At this point Severus grabbed Marci's hand that was on his knee and looked straight into her eyes. "So please, bear with me as I struggle through learning how to be someone's friend, how to really treat them how they deserve to be treated."

Marci was at a loss for words. Severus had never opened up this much about his home life or about his feelings. Marci knew it was hard for him. She squeezed his hand to reassure him she understood.

"There's nothing you can do, Severus, to make me not be your friend. I'll always be here for you. I'll struggle through your mood swings, your temper tantrums and your silent treatments as long as you always come to talk to me, eventually, when you're ready. I'll wait. I may be upset or moody myself while I wait, but I'll never turn my back on you. I promise."

Severus just shook his head and pulled his hand out of Marci's. They sat in silence for a while.

"You and Lily," Severus's voice cracked again, "you're all I have. I can't imagine losing either of you."

"You won't have to. I'm not going anywhere at least." Marci leaned into his side and took a deep breath. It was the first time she had noticed that he smelled of cloves and fresh mint.


	4. A Lesson to be Learned

_Disclaimer: Weasleys are red, Ravenclaws are blue, I don't own Harry Potter, and neither do you._

**Chapter 4: A Lesson to be Learned**

**1981 -**

Marci's breath came in ragged gasps as she found herself supported by the corridor walls just outside the Hufflepuff common room. Although she was stuck ten years in the past mentally, her feet still found their way home. It felt as if she was still coughing up the water from the lake. She couldn't catch her breath. Her lungs wouldn't work properly and it felt like her heart was being crushed by one of Hagrid's larger relatives.

Dry sobs heaved their way out of her chest and she felt herself slide down the wall; her head fell between her legs and her body convulsed with agony. She fought the tears that were threatening to spill down her face, trying to regain control of herself and her emotions. Nothing seemed to help, though. All she could do was let the pain run its course.

It could have been ten minutes or ten hours. Marci didn't know. Her sobbing had stopped and there was a puddle of tears between her feet. Finally she started to regain composure and catch her breath; the corridor smelt faintly of mint and cloves. It made her stomach turn. When she felt like she could stand without fainting, she did. With a flick of her wand she evaporated the evidence of her break down. Smoothing out her robes she took to the stairs, hoping to make it to her quarters without encountering a soul, human or ghost. The last thing she needed was for Peeves to come along and spread around the castle that Wee-little-Lynch was crying like a baby in the corridor outside the common room like she was a third year again.

Luckily she did make it to her door without any sign of Peeves or another living being. She lived in a remote part of the castle, on the third floor, far from prying eyes. Marci valued her privacy and preferred not to live alongside the other Hogwarts teachers in the Staff Corridor. She burst through her door and headed straight for the small half bathroom under the stairs. Quietly she doused her face in cool water, hoping the puffiness in her eyes would disappear so she could make her announcements in the Hufflepuff common room. For good measure she brushed her teeth and straightened her ponytail. Loping upstairs, she took off her teaching robes, which were covered in dirt from the green houses, and changed into clean jeans and a t-shirt. She finished off her outfit with a casual black robe. When she was satisfied no one would notice the slight red tint to her eyes, she stepped out of her safe haven and headed back to the common room.

*~SP~*

Marci entered the round porthole that lead to the Hufflepuff common room. She descended the stairs towards the soft glowing light. When she reached the bottom she looked out over her old home. It was as if she were stepping back in time. The room looked exactly as it had on her first day at Hogwarts: round and full of couches, chairs, and study tables. Marci was glad the smell of cloves and mint had stopped haunting her; she took in a deep, cool breath of air.

Students were scattered across the common room, some studying, some gossiping and some playing Wizard's Chess or Exploding Snap. She stepped further into the light of the fire and cleared her throat. Those nearest her looked up and a few smiles broke out among the students. "May I have your attention please, O noble house of Hufflepuff! I would like to call a house meeting. Prefects, please go up to the dormitories and round up anyone up there. I'll send a message to Madam Pince asking her to send any students lingering in the library back down here." Marci took out her wand, pointed it up the stairs and said, "Expecto Patronum!" A silvery blur took off up the stairs in search of the old librarian.

When Marci was sure that most of her house was gathered before her she began.

"As most of you are aware, Halloween is coming up." She watched as some of the younger students bounced in their seats, excited for their first Halloween Feast. "You also may be aware that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is also still very active right now." Marci let this sink in a little. It wasn't very often that professors spoke of the war going on between Dark and Light. "I assure you that you are safe at Hogwarts. The castle has every possible protection around it. Regardless, Headmaster Dumbledore has decided that in light of the Death Eaters' activities and that they favor Halloween as a night of mischief and mayhem, he is going to place a school wide curfew on Halloween." Marci paused, waiting until the inevitable sighs and complaints died down.

"Why would we need a curfew? Didn't you just say that the castle was perfectly safe?" Karri, a fifth year, asked from the back of the room.

"I did, and you are. Regardless of your safety, the headmaster still has the ability to enforce a curfew at any time for any reason and in his wisdom he has decided that Halloween is not a night for young minds to go wandering around the grounds." Marci paused, waiting for another question. None came. "Also," she added, "I would feel better knowing all of you are safe in our common room that night as well." Marci still knew plenty of the current Hufflepuffs from her time at Hogwarts and those that she didn't, she had earned their respect. The head of Hufflepuff was known for her compassion, understand and empathy. She was also known for her no-nonsense policy when it came to rule breaking and disrespect. Marcella Lynch demanded respect but also gave it in return.

"Since I know how it feels to be confined to this lovely round room, I have decided to throw you a little Halloween party." The common room broke out in a round of cheers and excited chatter. It wasn't often that the students of Hogwarts were granted a real party. "Although, I would like to theme our little party," she added.

The room got silent at this, waiting to hear what their head had thought up. "I want us all to get to know a culture that we may not be familiar with but that may be of infinite importance in the future. A culture you should get to know and respect; a culture that you should find the beauty in, like I do. A culture you should find worthy of your protection. We're going to have a Halloween party, muggle style." Some of the Hufflepuffs who were raised in muggle homes or communities let out a whoop and others stared as if Marci had lost her mind. In turn, Marci stared back at those who were more skeptical and raised a single eyebrow. "I want all of you to keep an open mind. There are going to be a lot of fun activities. I've arranged for the kitchen elves to send up a fine feast for you. Muggle candies and treats, traditional muggle food, and punch, including my personal favorite, orange juice. I am sure you guys are going to love it. So I want each and every one of you to start thinking up a costume. Well be having a little friendly competition. The house will be voting on different costume categories: best costume, most original, silliest, scariest and most muggle-ish. I expect you all to dress up. Any questions?"

Three hands shot up in the air. A first year named Amanda asked, "Does our costume have to come from, like, muggle books and stuff?"

"Great question. No, your costume can be anything, magical or muggle, although I challenge each of you to do some research and pick something from muggle culture."

Michael asked, "Can we get some butterbeer, please, professor?"

"Absolutely not. I will not tolerate any kind of alcohol at this party. If I even get a hint of alcohol, I'll stop the party and whoever is responsible will have to deal with the Headmaster. Halloween is a night to keep all our senses clear and alert."

The third hand went down. "Wonderful, now on Halloween, the feast will begin at 5:30 and end at 7. Sharp. I expect the Prefects to round up the rest of Hufflepuff and escort them down to the common room. Our party will start at 8. I will know if you do not come right back here after the feast. Do not test my patience with this please. Anymore questions?" No one moved. "Alright, you're excused." Still no one moved. An awkward silence fell over the students. Marci knew something was wrong; she just couldn't put her finger on it. After a moment she said, "Alright, what is it?"

You could hear a cricket sing if there were any here. Finally, the seventh year head girl, Emilia Scones, stepped forward. She cleared her throat and looked at her shoes. Obviously the whole house of Hufflepuff had something on their mind, something they had all been discussing together. "Uhm, ma'am, it's about Samantha," Emilia finally said.

Marci should have known. Her face filled with compassion and concern. She took a seat in an empty chair, still facing her house. "I know this was a really difficult day for you guys," she began. Marci hadn't even thought about how Samantha being gone would affect the rest of the house. "I know you guys probably miss Samantha a lot. I'm sorry she chose to leave." In reality, Samantha had been forced to leave the castle. Dumbledore was afraid that Samantha's life would be targeted by any number of students who had Death Eater parents. He was also afraid that Samantha may be a danger to other students, as her parents had just been caught in Death Eater activity, and may not be as innocent as he suspected.

"We miss her," came a voice from the students, Marci wasn't sure who it belonged to.

"I miss her too, just like I'll miss each of you when you leave," Marci said, settling in to her chair.

"Professor, are we really safe?" asked a small first year boy. "What if there are Death Eaters in the castle and we don't know about it?"

"Even if there were, you would still be safe. Any Death Eater that has enough nerve to try something under Headmaster Dumbledore's nose, or the noses of the other professors, is crazy. Our highest priority is your safety. Please always remember that."

A rather ruthless voice came from the back; it belonged to Rhyn Boyd, a rather cruel fifth year. "Why didn't Samantha get sorted into Slytherin if her parents are Death Eaters? Isn't that stupid hat supposed to wheedle out the good and the bad?" A handful of heads nodded but even more glared at Rhyn, obviously the ones who were closest to Samantha.

Marci was shocked. She knew most students were scared of the Slytherins as the house did have a more negative reputation, but she hadn't expected this blatant prejudice. It made her angry, but she remembered her confrontation with Mad-eye; if the adults couldn't put a stop to their prejudice, how did she expect their children to?

"Rhyn, I expect more tact from you in the future," Marci replied icily. "I also expect each and every one of you to judge a person by their character, not by their house affiliation." Marci gazed around the room. "I know reputations are built for a reason but they are not always true. Can someone in here please give me the reputation of one of the other houses?" Marci had turned a very negative conversation into a learning opportunity, like any good teacher.

It seemed every hand in the house went up. Marci pointed to a random face in the crowd. A third or fourth year boy piped up and said, "Ravenclaws are brainiacs. They know everything."

"That is indeed true," Marci said, putting on her teacher voice. "Ravenclaw does value an inquisitive mind. Many of the students in Ravenclaw themselves value education and knowledge. Not all of them are as studious as others. There have even been Ravenclaws that have failed a class or two, even failed an O.W.L. or a NE.W.T. Not everyone can be a good student in every subject. We all have our own strengths. Mine is Herbology and Potions. I am horrible in Transfiguration and Divination. Those aren't my strong points. Who has another one?"

A girl up front replied, "Gryffindors are snotty and stuck up. But they're also very brave. In Care of Magical Creatures, they are always the first ones to touch the really scary stuff."

"Sandra, that is a great observation. Not all Gryffindors are as brave as you might think. Bravery comes in many forms. Some are brave when meeting new magical creatures. Some are brave by befriending those who others will not; others are brave by sticking up to bullies on another's behalf. What else?"

"Slytherins are all Death Eaters!" someone yelled. It was a girl this time.

"That's it," Marci said vehemently. "The next person to attribute a negative connotation to a Slytherin gets detention for a month. I am not joking." That silenced the snickers real quick.

When Marci had caught a hold of her temper she quietly asked, "What about Hufflepuff? What do people say about us?"

200 faces stared back at her. No one wanted to answer this question. Finally, someone yelled, "Hufflepuffs are the greatest, ever," and left it at that.

"That's an interesting thought, but I don't think it's very accurate. I can tell you what I heard about Hufflepuff when I first came to Hogwarts." Marci raised her eye brows, challenging her students.

"Fine," she said curtly. "I heard that Hufflepuff was the charity house." She let that sink in. "Do you feel like a charity case being in Hufflepuff?" A hundred or more heads nodded back at her. "Exactly, we are not charity. Our house is known for its kindness, its compassion, and its love for other people." Marci thought long and hard for a good explanation of these qualities.

"Going along with our theme for the party, let me take an example from my experience growing up in the muggle world," Marci said, settling even deeper into her chair. This could be a long night, she thought. "Well, in the muggle world, there are people called social workers. Their job is to help people in need. When families can't afford to feed their children, social workers help find them money for food. When someone is sick but can't afford to go to hospital, they find them insurance to cover the costs." Marci looked around, hoping her example would sink in. "They help people; they care for peoples' needs. That's what Hufflepuff is all about. We care and love other people. No matter who they are or what they are going through, we show kindness, and empathy, and love."

A small hand went up in the front row. Marci strained for the name of the girl in her head, but nothing came forward. "Yes, dear," she asked.

"Are we even supposed to be nice to the mean kids, the bullies?" she asked, genuine curiosity playing across her face.

"Of course, what kind of person would you be if you were only nice to those who were nice to you?" She looked around seriously. "Even the Death Eaters do that, guys. Don't we want to rise above their standards?" This time most of the heads nodded in response.

"We don't want to be like the Death Eaters," a small boy said. Again 200 heads nodded in agreement.

"That's right Jacob, we don't." Marci stood up and steeled her voice. "And we don't have to be. We can show kindness to anyone, regardless of their blood status, regardless of whether they are a wizard or a muggle." A smile played across her face because Marci could see she was getting through to her students.

"So, can we make a commitment, as a house, as a family, to stand up for what Helga Hufflepuff, our great founder," -Marci lifted her hand above her head and pointed to the portrait of their founder that sat above the mantle- "believed in? To be loving and kind to every person we encounter, regardless of who they are and what they believe? Let's make our founder proud!"

A hundred cheers went up in the air while other students kept quiet, looking at one another skeptically. As the roar died down Marci added, "I did not expect all of you to buy in to that, but as your head of house," her voice grew serious, "I expect you all to treat each and every student in this castle with respect. Regardless of what house they come from. Do I make myself clear?"

Her whole house nodded, knowing she meant business. "Good, now if you have any questions or want to discuss anything, please come talk to me. I'll be here tonight for as long as you guys need me."

Marci ended up sitting in the common room well into the night watching her beloved Hufflepuffs slowly trickle off to bed. She caught up with a few of the seventh year students who had shared this common room with her while she was a student and played a riveting game of Wizard's Chess with a particularly gifted second year. Now she was sitting alone, looking around the round room, and thinking about how much she loved this place and how it truly felt like home to her. It was easy to fall back into memories of her first experience in the common room.

**September 1, 1971 - First Year**

John, the Slytherin prefect, had given them the password to the Hufflepuff common room and quietly turned back towards Slytherin, leaving Marci and Jeanne facing a wide round hole in the wall. It was easily tall enough to let in a person five times Marci's height and wide enough to allow three people to enter side by side. Beyond the porthole, stairs led down to a plush grey carpet. That was all the two girls could see. Jeanne looked over at Marci with excited eyes and tugged on the other girl's hand. Marci sat rooted to the spot. This was it. She was about to see where she was going to spend the next seven years of her life. For once, Jeanne was the courageous one. She took the first step down and looked up at Marci.

"Come on Marc, it's ok. This is our home. Remember what Professor McGonagall said, this is our family now." She tugged on Marci's hand until the other girl obediently took a step down. That one step broke the tension in Marci and she looked up, giddy with excitement, and the two girls raced down the stair well. When they reached the grey carpet, Marci looked up. Her eyes widened in disbelief and she dropped Jeanne's hand.

"Whoa," was all Marci could say.

When she looked over at Jeanne, she almost laughed. Her friend's mouth was gaping like a fish. It was obvious both girls had had some reservations about living underground. Marci was sure the common room was going to look like the rest of the basement and dungeons: cold, grey stone. No windows. No natural light. But that could not be said of the Hufflepuff common room.

It was obvious the room sat at the base of one of the huge spires that rose from the castle. It was perfectly round and two stories high at least. At the top of the huge round wall were perfectly round portholes that looked out onto the Hogwarts ground. It was obvious that the lower part of the common room was underground as the portholes showed an expanse of green grass at ground level. Marci felt a slight breeze brush past her cheek.

Jeanne leaned over and whispered, "That's the ventilation charm. My aunt told me about them. The common room will always smell fresh and clean." Sure enough the little breeze smelled like fall leaves and fresh grass.

The girls walked into the room proper, trying to take it all in. Both of them started to turn in a slow circle, looking around, miming the shape of the room itself. Throughout the room were large, over stuffed couches in mix matched colors of yellow and black and green. There were low tables scattered about and a number of straight, winged back chairs. On the far side of the room were seven tables set up side by side. Jeanne pointed to the tables and said, "That must be the study area my aunt told me about. She said it's got silencing spells all over it and it's the perfect place to tell secrets."

Marci bounced on the balls of her feet, excited. "Let's go test them out! Come on Jeanne, I've never seen a silencing spell before!"

She tugged on her friend's hand but Jeanne was rooted to the spot, staring up at the walls. Marci followed her gaze and gasped in amazement. How she had missed it before, she wasn't sure. The round wall was covered in art work. The whole of Hogwarts was covered in portraits sure, but these were different. Each piece was done in shades of yellow, orange, red, grey, black and white. The art ranged from horrible to exquisite. It looked like the sun had exploded on the grey walls of the common room.

"Tut, tut, what are you two doing down here?" Marci and Jeanne jumped a little in surprise, they were sure they had been alone but a girl with frizzy hair and thick glasses was standing just outside a circular doorway leading off somewhere. "I know I told everyone to go to bed well before midnight." The girls just stood there. "Don't stand there like a couple of toads with your mouths open. What are you still doing up?" she demanded.

Jeanne was the first to recover, though she cowered behind Marci a little. "We-we got left behind when everyone left the Great Hall and ended up lost in the dungeons for hours until, until, until someone doing rounds found us and took us here."

The tall girl looked like she was trying to figure out if she was getting the wool pulled over her eyes or not. She squinted down at them, trying to look fierce but Marci thought she just looked constipated.

"How in the world did you get into the common room without the right password?" She looked smug, like she'd caught them in their lie.

Neither one of the girls wanted to get John in trouble so they didn't say anything.

"Well, out with it, how'd you get in?"

Marci was fed up being treated like a criminal. She squared her shoulders. "The person who brought us down knew the password and we promised not to tell anyone who he was. We won't break that promise," Marci said, glaring at the girl.

"Fine," she said primly, "What are your names? I'll simply have to report you to Professor Sprout. She can deal with your insolence."

The girls replied with their names at the same time.

"Hum, well regardless, you should be in bed. I'm Francis, Seventh year, Prefect. What are you two gawking at?" She obviously picked up quickly on the girls' distraction due to the common room. "Perhaps you really did just get here. That'll mean you missed my speech." She looked a little put out by this. "I'll paraphrase for you quickly and then it's off to bed. The common room is open for studying and socializing for first through fourth years until nine p.m. For fifth through sixth years curfew is at eleven p.m. Seventh years," Francis said, sticking her nose up in the air, "don't have a curfew. The weekend curfew for first through fourth is midnight, fifth through seventh years don't have a curfew on the weekend. Regardless you're not allowed in the corridors after the school curfew, at nine p.m. The Prefects and professors do rounds each night to ensure that rule is not broken"

Jeanne walked over to the wall and put her hand out and gently touched the art work there. "Ah, I see your fascination with our decorations. Unbeknownst to most of the other students at Hogwarts, Hufflepuff has always been a very talented group of students. Art is a highly respected pastime in our common room. Over there is the supply room. It's stocked with art supplies. Anything you could want to use to create a masterpiece will be in there. Feel free to use whatever you like. The house elves will clean them at the end of every night. No need to wash them up yourself. Next to the supply room is a soundproof room, if you play any instruments you can practice there. Hufflepuff has always been a very talented bunch, indeed."

The girls meandered around the room, listening to the Prefect's speech. Marci noticed the wall near the stairs leading to the portrait hole. It was the only section of the long wall lacking color; it was completely black and white. There were photos covering every inch of the brick.

Francis came up beside Marci as she admired the photographs. The girl touched one and Marci looked closer. It was a picture of a miniature Francis and an older girl. "This," Francis said, her voice becoming softer, "is me and my sister. She was a sixth year when I was a first. She was brilliant, wanted to be a politician you know. Go into the Ministry. She was aiming at being the Minister of Magic one day. She was Head Girl, and Quidditch Captain." A sigh came from deep in Francis's soul. "I miss her."

"What happened to her?" Marci asked, thinking about how sad the other girl sounded.

"She disappeared, just a few months after she graduated from Hogwarts. She was interning with the Secretary Privy. She left for work one day and never showed up." Francis sniffled a little.

"I'm really sorry Francis. My dad disappeared when I was a baby. I know it's not the same but I know what it's like to miss someone."

"I'm sorry for your loss as well." Francis shook her head a little. "Where was I? Oh yes, the girls' dormitory is right there, on the left, the boys' is on the right. Boys are not allowed in the girls dorms."

"What about girls being in the boys rooms?"

"You don't have to worry about that, once you get half way up the stairs, you won't want to go any farther." Frances turned back towards the wall of photographs.

"I love these photos," Francis said in a whisper, touching another one of a small boy. "It's a living testament to the students who use to live here. Some of these pictures go back to the early 1400s. It is not common knowledge that the wizard who created the photography charm, that transfers an image to parchment and allows the contents of the picture to move, was from Hufflepuff." Marci looked farther on down the wall and realized that some of the pictures did in fact move, others did not. "There's a dark room, over there, it's got a password on it so that no one walks in while someone is developing, it's 'aperture'."

Jeanne walked up to the other two girls and stared at the wall. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes.

Francis broke the silence. "Well, you will all have plenty of time to explore the common room more fully tomorrow, now it's off to bed. Go through the girls' dormitory porthole and follow the passageway a ways. At the end of it you'll find a room with a placard on the door that says first years and has a list of names. Find the door with your names on it. That's your room. Go straight to bed. I believe you two girls are in the same room. I don't want you to wake up your other three roommates. You can unpack tomorrow. Breakfast starts at 7:30. Classes start at 9. You will get your schedule tomorrow morning. Now off to bed." Francis tried to scowl at the girls but didn't quite manage it.


	5. The Sound of a Breaking Heart

_Disclaimer: Weasleys are red, Ravenclaws are blue, I don't own Harry Potter, and neither do you._

**Chapter 5: The Sound of a Breaking Heart**

**1981 -**

A chime woke Marci from her memories. It was one in the morning. All of her Hufflepuffs were safely in bed and the common room was deserted. Exhausted, Marci stood up and walked to her quarters. Climbing the stairs to her bedroom, she wasn't sure she would be able to sleep calmly that night. Her thoughts of first year ran through her head. Severus penetrated her every thought. She didn't have the mental capacity at the moment to keep those particular memories at bay and they bombarded her mind, ripping new holes in her heart. She was exhausted but was afraid to go to sleep.

"Accio Dreamless Sleep," Marci murmured, as she collapsed atop her king sized bed. The purple down comforter embraced her like an old friend and Marci longed for Jeanne's company. A bottle hit her in the head just then and she picked it up. It was her Dreamless Sleep potion and it was empty. Marci sighed in resignation. She would just have to fight the dreams she knew would come. If Jeanne was here, her presence alone would comfort her enough to sleep. She missed her best friend terribly and Marci was reminded of just how alone she was. As she lay there in bed staring at the ceiling, Marci's thoughts raced through her head and she could no longer differentiate dreams from memories. Maybe they were one and the same. Marci couldn't tell anymore.

*~SP~*

_Marci found herself in the Hufflepuff common room sitting with Jeanne at the study tables hidden behind silencing wards. At least her mind had thought to dream of this instead of...she couldn't even bring herself to think his name. This was more than a dream though, this was a memory and Marci already knew what was coming. Apparently, her mind just couldn't keep Severus at bay tonight. _

_The two girls were obviously in their fifth year, Jeanne's prefect badge shining brightly. _

_Jeanne leaned in towards Marci and whispered, regardless of the silencing spells, "Come on Marci, you can tell me. What happened? Why are you so...not yourself? What happened today in Potions! First you were all pissed off at Severus for going to Hogsmeade with Lily Evans a couple weeks ago and then you come out of your little Potions sanctuary looking like you were in shock. What happened?" _

_Marci leaned on her hand and sighed. She didn't really want to tell Jeanne what had transpired that day in the Potions lab. Jeanne had always been a little jealous of Severus and this was only bound to make it worse, but she knew she couldn't keep it a secret for long. _

_"Well," she hesitated, "he was in a rather foul mood as well -"_

_Jeanne cut her off. "Well of course he is. Evans isn't talking to him anymore. Word on the street is that he called her a mudblood!" Jeanne's hands flew to cover her mouth like she hadn't meant to say the foul word out loud._

_"Yeah," Marci confirmed. "He did." _

_Jeanne gasped. "But Marci, don't you think that's kind of...offensive? You could possibly be a Muggle-born. We don't really know. What if he thinks of you like that too?"_

_Marci sighed and leaned back in her chair. "We talked about that, while he was helping me with my potion." On a side note Marci added, "I don't think I'm going to be ready to sit my N.E.W.T. in potions at the end of the year." _

_Jeanne ignored that last comment. "Well, what did that no good Dea-" Jeanne's face burned red and Marci glared at her friend. "What did he have to say for himself?"_

_Marci bit her lip wondering how much she should repeat. "Well, he was really angry at himself. I think his anger loosened his tongue a little because he talked a lot more than he usually does."_

_Jeanne leaned in as if she was going to get some really good gossip out of this. Marci hardened her features. "Jeanne if I tell you this stuff you can't tell anyone else, ever."_

_Jeanne raised her hands in surrender. "I won't, I won't". _

_"Good." Marci shook her head. "Well Sev said he did call Lily a mudblood but he was really sorry for it. He was so angry at the time. James and Sirius had really embarrassed him and some of his so called Slytherin friends were looking on as well and didn't even help him, you know, Nott and Avery." A chill rushed through both girls. "Anyways, he went to go apologize to Evans but she wouldn't have it. So now they're not friends anymore and Severus is really angry at himself."_

_Jeanne looked confused. "So why would this make you so...smug?"_

_"First of all, I don't know how I feel but Severus isn't hanging out with Evans anymore. He's quit fawning over her and staring at her and talking about her all the time. Honestly, I don't know what he ever saw in her. _That's_ why I'm feeling so smug."_

_"Well, she is rather good looking, Marci. You know, you do kind of look like her. Your hair is a darker red and your eyes are more golden than green but the similarities can't be missed." _

_Marci rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about her physical features, Jeanne. I'm talking about how I don't trust her. She spends entirely way too much time with Remus Lupin who spends entirely way too much time with James and Sirius. How could he trust her, or even like her?"_

_Jeanne giggled. "Love is blind," she said, shrugging her shoulders, giving her friend a knowing look. _

_The common room suddenly spun into a blur of colors, Marci's memory-dream was changing. When it settled itself down again Marci found herself in the bright sunlight of Hogsmeade, walking side by side with Severus. It was late spring and the last Hogsmeade trip of their fifth year. The pair was walking away from town, towards the Shrieking Shack. _

_Marci laughed and lightly punched Severus in the arm. "Come on Sev, what's on your mind? You've been so quiet this whole trip. You haven't even lectured me on the proper techniques of milking plants." Marci grinned and a small smile crept across Severus's face. _

_"That's better; at least you're smiling now." Marci stopped, leaned up against a tree and gazed at the Shrieking Shack. "Do you really think it's haunted Sev?" Marci asked. _

_Severus's body went rigid and he raised his eyebrows. "There is always some truth in rumors and folk lore. I'm sure something horrifying lives in that shack. Whether it's a ghost or not," Severus's voice trailed off and he shrugged his shoulders but his eyes turned dark; Marci knew he wasn't telling her something. _

_Marci began to climb over the fence that kept people away from the shack but Severus grabbed her cloak and pulled her down. _

_"Hey! Sev, what the heck? I just wanted to go check it out." _

_His voice was cold. "That is a terrible idea Marci." _

_"Yea but I bet there isn't really anything in there." _

_Again his eyes flashed and Marci decided to push the subject, thinking she could get Severus to share his secret. "Come on Severus, there's nothing in there. I want to go look around." She dived under the fence but Severus was faster, he dragged her back and picked her up off the ground. He growled at her. "No Marci, it's not safe."_

_"So you do know something!" Marci said indignantly and crossed her arms. "What is it then?"_

_Severus mimicked Marci's stance, crossing his arms and pointedly looking the other way. _

_"Well if you're not going to tell me, I'm going anyways." Marci leaped over the fence with ease and stood defiantly on the other side. _

_Severus's face paled and he took a step towards the fence. "This isn't funny Marcella, come back here." His voice had lost all trace of malice and his face flushed with concern. _

_Marci stumbled a little. She knew Severus cared for her. They were best friends. They had shared their deepest darkest secrets in the bowels of the castle over the last five years but the look on Severus's face was entirely new. It was desperation. In a flash Severus had leaped over the fence and almost tackled Marci. He had her in a vice grip. Marci stilled her struggling, trying to figure out exactly what Severus was doing. _

_"Good," he said, looking down at Marci wrapped in his arms. "Now that you're calm, we're leaving." He didn't take his arms from around Marci but started shuffling both of them back towards the fence. Marci started struggling again. _

_"Severus Tobias Snape! You let me go. What in God's name do you think you're doing?" Marci raged, struggling against Severus's strong arms. _

_Severus's eyebrows rose; it may have been at the use of his full name or the fact that Marci had just said the word God or that the girl simply was too dense to realize why he was insisting she go nowhere near that cursed building. _

_"I'm protecting you," he said simply, as if that was obvious. Marci went still staring into Severus's dark eyes. The two had always silently protected each other, defending each other when others talked poorly of them, threatened to curse or jinx someone who teased the other too mercilessly but never had it been so blatantly obvious as right now. _

_Wrapped up in Severus's arms, Marci had a paradigm shift. This boy, who she had been protecting and guarding for years, felt the same way about her as she did for him. _

_All Marci could say was, "okay." She allowed Severus to lead her to the fence and help her over it. When he had joined her on the other side they were standing particularly close together. Severus looked down at Marci again. She felt like she was falling into his dark eyes. His hand came to her face and pushed her auburn hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger near her neck. _

_Marci leaned into his embrace and relished the intimate touch. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath filled with the scent of cloves and mint that always seemed to follow Severus around. It seemed like they stood there for eternity, neither one saying anything. When Marci opened her eyes, she found Severus just staring at her. He still didn't say anything. She laid her hand over his and said, "Severus, what are we doing?" He just shook his head and continued to stare at her. _

_Marci took a step back, breaking the physical contact between them. Severus shook his head again, as if he was trying to clear it. He straightened his shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back. He turned around and started to walk towards the village. Marci stood there in stunned silence. What was going on? Hadn't they just had some kind of connection? No, Severus was doing what he knew best. He was hiding his feelings and avoiding the situation. _

_"Sev, I can't do this anymore," Marci blurted. Severus stopped and turned around. He looked like she had slapped him. "What is wrong? Why can't we talk about what just happened? You can't just brush this under the rug." Marci's voice broke. "What happened back there?" Marci felt dumb asking but she really wanted to know what was going on in Severus's head. _

"_Nothing happened back there, Marci. Come on, let's go get a Butterbeer. I'll buy," Severus said, sounding morose. _

_Marci's hands dropped to her sides and she completely deflated. She was so sure that Severus had just bared some part of his soul to her. She knew boys just didn't stare into a girl's eyes like that because he was admiring their color. They didn't let their fingers linger at the nape of their necks. That was too intimate a touch for a fifteen year old boy to casually flaunt around. On top of that, Severus wasn't your normal fifteen year old. He thought through everything he did; every move Severus made was calculated and precise. _

"_No, Sev. I am not going to get a Butterbeer with you today. I need to think about what just happened. I feel like our friendship has changed, or at least, that it's trying to change but you're not letting it. I am not sure I can just let us sit here, stagnant." Marci sighed and put her head in her hands. It was obvious that Severus wasn't going to talk about the feelings Marci just seen reflected in his eyes and his touch. She felt like a pawn. Severus had warned her, back in third year, that he didn't know how to love anyone besides himself. Why had she fallen in love with the unlovable boy? Was the rest of her life going to be filled with these kinds of disappointments from a man who couldn't even admit to her how he felt? "I can't just be friends anymore, not after today." That last sentence hung in the air, thick and heavy. _

_Severus's face crumpled. "Why not?" he asked. _

_"Because I can't pretend to be your friend forever knowing that you have these feelings for me, too. It would be like living a lie. It would tear me up, every day."_

_The mask Severus tended to wear on a daily basis was gone. He was vulnerable and Marci saw a number of emotions play across his face; the most prominent one was fear. _  
><em><br>"What are you afraid of Sev?" Marci whispered. _

_Severus covered his face with his hands. "Don't you get it Marci? Everything I love falls apart. I destroy it. Look what happened with Lily. That was my fault. I can't bare to let that happen to us...if we..." He didn't finish his sentence or pull his hands away from his face. _

_Marci stepped up to him and gently pulled both hands from his face. "When have I ever let your stubbornness or pig-headedness or anger come between us? When have I ever not forgiven you?" Severus continued to just stare at the fallen leaves. _

_Severus was shaking with emotion but refused to say a word. Marci waited patiently for a few minutes. When she was convinced Severus would stay a stone statue for eternity, she shook her head sadly and turned to walk away. Apparently, he had made his decision and was refusing to pursue a relationship with her. _

_A ragged voice behind her said, "Don't walk away when I need you." Flashes of Halloween their third year came swarming back to her. She turned around and found herself engulfed in black as Severus wrapped his arms around her again. "I – you…" Severus was tongue tide and it made Marci's heart melt. She brought her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. She knew when he had composed himself better he would talk. "You're my best friend," he finally said. "You've always forgiven me, even when I didn't deserve it and never turned your back on me." Marci knew he was thinking of when he had called Evans a mudblood and she'd decided she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. Instead, Marci had sat with Severus for weeks as he brooded in his misery over the girl he cared for. She didn't chastise him or push for details or tell him everything was going to be all right. She simply had been there for him until he was ready to talk about it or move on. Marci felt Severus's lips come down to rest on the top of her head. _

_The memories swirled together again and she was sitting outside under the trees of the Forest leaning against Severus. They were simply talking about her summer holiday with her mother and brother. Severus stood up and helped Marci off the ground pulling her up into a tight embrace. "I'm glad to be back," he breathed. _

_Marci grinned up at him. She knew how he felt. Summer had been the longest three months of her life. She never thought she'd get back to the castle to see Severus. She had longed to visit him at Spinner's End but knew better than to ask. Instead, she had passed the summer reading his daily letters and writing long replies back. It seemed they really didn't have any secrets left. Severus had shared about how his father had beaten him as a child and how Eileen had stood by and watched. His mother forgot about the darkness in her house by staying rip roaring drunk most of the time; although, that didn't stop her from practicing the Dark Arts and brewing various illicit potions. _

_Marci had confided about how she had known since first year that she loved Severus, that when they had met that first day in Potions, she had this sudden realization that her life wouldn't be complete without him. He tried to tell her it was a first year's fantasy but she brushed him off, insisting that it was an innate magical ability to predetermine her relationships with others. She'd always had the ability. The second she had seen Jeanne on her broom in her Aunt's back yard, she knew they were going to be best friends. When she had met Professor Dumbledore, she knew that he would hold high authority over her all throughout her life. It was a gift. _

_Marci sighed bringing herself back to the forest and out of her thoughts of summer. "Me too," Marci whispered, as she stared at Severus. He had started tying his hair back this year. She pushed a stray strand behind his ear and let her hand rest at the nape of his neck. _

_Her breath hitched as Severus leaned down towards her. Lightly, his lips found hers. The kiss was light but it held every feeling the two shared. "I don't think my life would be complete without you, Marci," he whispered. "You ground me; keep me from getting caught up in the horrors of my past and the dangers of living in the snake pit."_

_Marci knew he was talking about the Slytherin common room. They had often talked about how pressure was beginning to rise for young Slytherins to choose what side they would serve after Hogwarts. Severus wasn't immune to these pressures. Avery and Nott had already decided to take the Dark Lord's mark when they turned 17. They both expected Severus to follow in their footsteps. Lucius Malfoy had graduated but had made frequent visits to the common room since then. Marci shuttered a little, wondering how they were going to keep Severus from the clutches of Voldemort. _

_The happy memories of her and Severus's time together didn't last long. Her brain suddenly switched gears and her dream-memories swirled around again. _

_It was still sixth year but Marci was alone, walking back to the Hufflepuff common room from the library. It was late and she figured no one would still be awake. She was wrong. As she was turning a corner four silhouettes came into view. It wasn't hard to pick them out. Two were stocky and short, built like the finest of Beaters, and the other two were taller and leaner. They sauntered forward and Marci heard a vicious, low laugh emanate from the group. Fear coursed through her veins. She thought about turning around, but that might just provoke the boys more. Avery and Nott slipped under the light of a floating lantern, Goyle and Crabbe followed suit. _

_"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Hufflepuff slut," Nott said, looking Marci up and down, obviously approving of what he saw. Marci wrapped her cloak around her, wishing she had buttoned it up earlier. She gripped her wand inside her pocket. _

_"Come now, Nott," Marci said levelly. "Surely your mother taught you better manners than that." _

_Nott just continued to rack his eyes up and down Marci. She tried to control her shivering. Avery took a step forward. _

_"She's right, Theo," Avery said, silkily. "We should treat her like the lady she is." This time it was his turn to look appreciatively at Marci. "Unfortunately, with that frumpy cloak on we can't appreciate the fine lady that you are." Avery's wand whipped up before Marci could stop him. "Evenesco!" he cried and Marci's cloak vanished, leaving her feeling very vulnerable. _

_"That's much better," Goyle sneered as he took in Marci's jeans and tank top. Another shiver ran down her spine and Marci decided it was time to run. _

_"Now, now Marci, we know what kind of liberties you give to Severus," Nott said. The other boys laughed. "We do share a room with him after all." Marci face fell, She refused to believe that Severus would ever talk about their private lives with anyone, let alone these four Death-Eaters-in-training. Unfortunately, Marci had given herself away not Severus. _

_"Oh so you have." This seemed to make Nott and Avery very happy. "What exactly have you and Severus been doing these past six years on your little trips down to the dungeon to explore? Surely there are plenty of empty rooms to...utilize," Avery said, suggestively. "Perhaps we could go find one right now. He raised his wand towards Marci again but this time she was prepared. _

_"Expelliarmus!" she cried and Avery's wand came flying out of his hand. She caught it just as three other wands turned on her. Marci took a deep breath calculating her enemies. "Incarcerus!" she cried, pointing her wand at Crabbe and Goyle. Ropes flew out of her wand and bound the two together head to toe. Avery lunged at Marci trying to get his wand back. She stepped backwards and he hit the floor. She threw up a Protego Charm around herself just as Nott's curse rebounded off of it. "Furnunculous!" Marci cried and Nott's body became covered in blisters and boils. He began reeling on the ground in pain. _

_Just then Avery tackled Marci, sending her flying into the wall. She hit her head and stars swam above her eyes. She felt her wand and Avery's wand tugged out of her hand. Avery leaned in close and said, "Where do you really think your precious little Severus's loyalties lay? With some filthy little girl who's blood is probably dirtier than dirt?" Marci wanted to laugh at his ridiculous comparison but didn't have the strength. "No, like the good Slytherin he is, his loyalties lay where the most power is sure to be found, with the Dark Lord. You just wait Marcella." He spit her name like it was something foul. "When the time is right, he'll drop you quicker than you can say Quidditch. He'll leave you in the dirt once he's gotten what he wants from you." With that he spit in her face and turned away. _

Marci sat up straight in bed. The cloths she hadn't bothered to change out of were soaked in sweat and she was crying. She lay down and rolled over, burying her head in her pillow. The truth of Avery's words that night came screaming back to her and she sobbed even harder.

Severus had left her. He had done what Marci never would have. He turned his back on her and chose instead to throw his lot in with Avery and Nott, in with the Dark Lord.

Since Marci refused to sleep again that night, she changed into fresh cloths and threw on her brewing robe. Albus needed a number of potions made for the Order and Marci had to stock up on some Dreamless Sleep. So she slipped out of her quarters and made her way down to the dungeons. For the second time that night she found herself trailing her fingers across the walls of the castle. She was too exhausted to keep her memories in check. Her heart was numb from all the pain she'd relived that day anyways. So with each passing corridor or portrait, she thought of Severus. She passed the deserted classroom where they would study late into the night, avoiding Prefects and professors on rounds. She let herself linger in an alcove where she and Severus had spent a particularly wonderful afternoon snogging before Christmas holidays sixth year. When she came to the Entrance Hall, she stopped. She never lingered long in this area because it held the darkest of memories. Marci let herself get caught up in the worst day of her life.

**May 15, 1977 - Sixth Year**

It was the end of sixth year. They had two weeks before their exams but most students were lounging around the grounds as the weather was perfectly warm and sunny. Marci and Severus had been wandering the castle in companionable silence, holding hands as most students were outside enjoying the sunny weather. They had reached the Entrance Hall and Marci had double checked they were alone before pulling Severus into her arms and kissing him firmly on the mouth. His body responded instantly. His arms entangled themselves in her hair and her hands gripped at his robes, pulling him tighter against her. Her mouth opened and Marci lost herself in Severus's arms.

She didn't know how long they had stood there enjoying each other's...company, when a gentle throat cleared itself. Albus Dumbledore was standing at the top of the first flight of steps looking down on the young couple. Marci's cheeks flooded red while Severus stiffened and took a step away from Marci, releasing his grip on her.

Sheepishly, Marci replied, "I'm sorry Headmaster; we did not see you there."

Severus nodded his head and added, "We'll head out to the grounds now."

As they turned towards the giant double doors leading outside, Professor Dumbledore spoke up. "I do not think that is wise, Mr. Snape, Ms. Lynch. I happen to know there is a group of seventh year Slytherins who are up to no good just outside the doors. Perhaps you could come with me Marci, and Severus, you could fetch Ms. Jensen for me." Marci looked at Severus questioningly, wondering why the Headmaster would need to speak with Jeanne as well. As it was, Dumbledore had said few words to Marci while she was at Hogwarts. She couldn't imagine what he needed now. As she gazed up at him, trying to read his features, she decided his eyes were distinctly sad. That unnerved Marci. The only thing she had ever seen play across the Headmaster's face was good cheer and mystery, even when he spoke of You-Know-Who.

"Uhm, Professor," Marci ventured, "if you have something to say to me. You can say it in front of Severus. We don't have any secrets." Severus lifted his head in agreement and, in a rare display of affection, laid a hand on her shoulder.

The Headmaster stared at the pair as if calculating something and just nodded his head and made his way down the stairs. When they were eye to eye, he said to Marci, "Very well, let us adjourn to my office." The two students followed their Headmaster up to the Seventh floor. No one said a word. Dumbledore stopped in front of a large gargoyle statue and said, "Sugar quills." The gargoyle leaped aside and the wall behind him split in two. Behind the wall was a revolving stair case. The Headmaster stepped on and the two students followed in his wake.

After they were settled in the Headmaster's office and were offered sweets, tea and crumpets, Dumbledore looked solemnly at the duo sitting across from him. He took a deep breath and stared straight at Marci. "I am truly sorry to have to tell you this Marcella. Your mother was found dead today." A shocked silence filled the room and Severus stiffened in his chair, staring at the Headmaster.

Marci just stared at Dumbledore. The room was silent for a few moments. Then Marci's tea cup crashed to the floor and she sank into the chair. In a flash, Severus was kneeling in front of her, a comforting hand caressing her hair. Marci sobbed and shook her head, refusing to believe it. She leaned into Severus and he wrapped his arms around her continuing to stroke her hair. Decorum be damned, he thought as held the girl he loved.

**1981 -**

Marci came back to herself and was sitting on the last step of the Grand Staircase. A few tears rolled down her cheek but she had already sobbed herself dry. She raised her head towards Heaven and prayed a silent prayer for her mother's soul before standing up and numbly walking down to the dungeons. She passed the Slytherin common room and bile rose up in her throat.

**May 29, 1977 - Sixth year**

Marci and Severus were standing outside a portrait of a haughty looking man in green robes, holding a rather large snake. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her toe impatiently.

"Severus, honestly, I have no idea what's gotten your knickers in a twist but I refuse to live like this." She stared at him, expecting him to explain his behavior over the last week or two. At first Marci had thought she just had needed time to grieve the loss of her mother. But after a few days, she started to realize that Severus was distancing himself from her. She thought he couldn't handle the strong emotions she showed when she thought about her mom but that didn't make sense as she thought about how Severus had held her in the Headmaster's office. Regardless of the fact that he refused to show any kind of public display of affection, when Marci had been hurting and needed him the most, he had thrown his decorum to the wind, humbled himself and comforted her. But now he could barely touch her, barely look at her and it made her throat close with anxiety.

He had spent a disgustingly large amount of time with the other Slytherin sixth years these last two weeks and Marci had chalked it up to studying for exams but realized that Severus had very rarely ever studied with his dorm mates. His behavior was truly odd.

"I want some answers Severus and I want them now. I refuse to leave here for summer holidays and go home-" Marci choked, realizing she would never go home again, not really. Home wasn't home without her mother. She steeled her nerves and thanked God for her brother and went on. "I refuse to leave here for the holidays and not have you talk to me. Don't force me to, Severus, but I'll stay out here all night until you talk to me." Marci was truly terrified of the other Slytherins but her love for Severus could override any fears she had.

Severus's face paled at the remark and he turned away, sneering. He looked down at the floor and suddenly turned on Marci. His face was a neutral mask and his posture was rigid, even for Severus. He lifted his head high and glared down his nose at Marci.

Marci recoiled a little, wondering what she had done to deserve that look. It was terrifying. "Yes, that's it Marcella," Severus spat. "Cower in fear away from me."

Marci faltered and regained her composure. "I'm not afraid of you Severus," she said, coldly.

A fleeting look of...something, perhaps surprise or regret, passed over Severus's features before he schooled them again. "Well you should be." He took a menacing step towards the girl but she held her ground. "I am through with you," he said in haughty tones. "It seems I have become bored with our little tryst. It has become much too complicated and anyways, I already got what I really wanted." Marci's face colored as she remembered their last trip to Hogsmede before her mother had died. The pair had gotten thoroughly lost in their own little world out in the forests surrounding the village. The pair hadn't gone all the way as Severus respected Marci's boundaries but they had certainly pushed the limits. As it was, they barely made it back before curfew.

Marci's hand shot to her mouth in shock and shame as she remembered Avery's comment earlier that year _"When the time is right, he'll drop you quicker than you can say Quidditch. He'll leave you in the dirt once he's gotten what he wants from you."_Marci hadn't believed a word Avery had said at the moment but as it came crashing back to her now, she wondered if she had ever really known Severus Snape. It appeared that he was in fact the loyal Slytherin everyone had tried to tell her he was. Marci shook her head and Severus just glared at her.

"Honestly Marcella, did you really think what we had was real?" His voice hardened and he took a step back. "You finally gave me what I wanted and since I am fairly sure you'll give no more," he stopped and just shrugged his shoulders. "Now if you'll excuse me, Avery, Nott and Malfoy are waiting."

In that moment, it felt like the golden threads of love and compassion that Marci and Severus had shared were severed; as if Fate herself had taken her cursed scissors and cut straight threw her heart. Marci crumbled to the ground, too shocked to even cry. She just stared at the dark stone that made up the castle. Severus raised his wand and Marci flinched wondering what kind of horrid curse the Slytherin would leave her with. Instead, a silvery mist of light shot out of his wand and up the stair case. With one last fleeting look of disdain, he went back to his common room. Jeanne had found Marci not five minutes later. Marci never did ask why Jeanne had swallowed her fear and traversed the dungeons.

**1981 -**

Marci's anger flared up strong as the memory departed, she raised her wand and pointed it straight at the portrait of Salazar Slytherin and screamed, "Diffindo!" Marci cried the curse over and over again shredding the portrait of Salazar, taking out every ounce of anger she had on that painting. She knew it would magically fix itself by morning but she didn't care. She blamed Voldemort for everything she had lost in her life and he was a Slytherin, Snape was a Slytherin and he had sure used his Slytherin cunning with her to get exactly what he wanted.

When Marci's anger was abated, she turned on her heels and finished the trek to the Potions lab. When she finally got to the table she preferred to brew at, she was exhausted mentally and physically. She knew she was in no state of mind to brew so she lay down on top of the table and stared at the ceiling. Once again her mind wandered.

_...Jeanne teaching Marci how to properly fly a broom during first year flying lessons..._

_...Watching as Jeanne got permission to try out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and was given the slot of reserve seeker first year... _

_...Jeanne flying in her first match against Ravenclaw... _

_...Marci's own announcement that she had made the Quidditch team and was a Beater in third year..._

_...The first match her team won and the huge celebration Hufflepuff had..._

_...Meeting Alisha during charms class and having the girl absolutely laugh at her feeble attempt to levitate a feather..._

_...Alisha tutoring her in charms so she wouldn't fail out of the class completely..._

_...Laughing as she watched Alisha, unsteady on a broom in third year... _

_...Jeanne, Alisha, and Marci studying for their Defense Against the Dark Arts practical in the abandoned classroom across from the Defense classroom... _

_...Severus's absolute refusal to practice with the girls... _

_...Jeanne, later in their dorm, accusing him of being a Death Eater because he didn't want to practice Defense with them..._

_... Marci sticking up for him..._

_...Being teased by other Slytherins after they had found out Marci and Severus were dating..._

The memories flowed freely through Marci's mind as she lay on the Potions table on her back. Her legs swung freely off the end and her arms stuck out to each side. She took out her wand and slowly wrote out Jeanne, Alisha, Marci, and Severus in flaming golden letters. Then she violently crossed out Severus's name.

Marci laid there for a few more hours, letting the memories whip through her mind. Finally, she sat up and just stared at the names of her two best friends and the one she had lost forever. Anger flooded her soul again. She hoped beyond a shadow of a doubt that one day she would come face to face with Severus Snape, in all his Death Eater glory, so she could be the one to take him out. She hadn't joined the Order of the Phoenix for nothing.


End file.
